The Clockwork Locket
by drwatsonn
Summary: Cassie Alderfair has been doing an exceptional job with being discreet at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but her days of being invisible are disrupted in her fifth year, when an unfortunate night of mischief draws attention from the infamous Marauders, and a secret comes to light that may turn the tides of the war… (Marauders' Era)
1. The Invisible Girl

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome! Since joining this website, I told myself that I would never try and tackle a Harry Potter fic, but fate has a funny way of working out. This is not my first fan fiction, but it IS my first for HP, so bear with me - it's been a while since I've been truly active in this fandom. With that being said, please feel free to leave any comments or feedback - it helps me out immensely to know what you guys think!**

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Chapter One: The Invisible Girl

Cassie Alderfair does not remember much of her past four years at Hogwarts.

It wasn't as if her memory had been Obliviated, or she was suddenly diagnosed with a severe case of amnesia. It was simply because she kept her head down and minded her own business, and remained as inconspicuous as possible.

Her name was not on any award in the trophy room, and her grades were average at best. In fact, if one were to inquire about her to any student in the school prior to her fourth year, they would probably have received blank looks and confused frowns. The only reason why she wasn't an equivalent of a Hogwarts ghost (and even then, more people knew of Nearly Headless Nick and the Fat Friar than her) was because of her surname.

Despite her best attempts at anonymity, the name Alderfair had a certain ring in the Wizarding world that was hard to shake. Perhaps it was because of her father, a prominent figure on the Wizengamot, or maybe her mother, who was an editor of the famous _Witch Weekly_ magazine. Or perhaps because the Alderfair family was one of the only pureblood families left in England, and on top of that, were very outspoken sympathizers of the Death Eaters' cause, led by the man they called Lord Voldemort, the name whispered in the backs of pubs and the Ministry alike. It was no secret that the Alderfairs approved of this 'Lord Voldemort' (or, more accurately, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named), this point being especially proven when at the end of her third year her elder brother, William, finished his seventh and final year at Hogwarts and was recruited right into the Death Eaters' ranks.

That in itself had stirred quite a controversy at the school, remarkably so as Cassie and her brother had both been Sorted into Gryffindor. It was something much more expected of a Slytherin, but as Cassie had begun to see it, people were surprising – even those dearest to you. Fortunately, the talk had petered out by the end of her fourth year, and after another boring summer holiday, she was ready to go back to her invisible self for her fifth.

The morning of September the first dawned a clear and watery grey, and at approximately 10:13 AM, if one were to look directly at the wall separating platforms 9 and 10 in the King's Cross Station in London, they might have seen a surly teenage girl wheeling a cart with a trunk and an owl in a cage walk right into the wall and disappear, closely followed by a woman wearing very strange and very bright clothing.

Cassie blinked and found herself back in the usual chaos of Platform 9 ¾, where students ran up and down greeting friends they had not seen over the holiday, and frazzled parents were left to deal with their children's luggage. Smoke from the Hogwarts Express drifted over all their heads, adding an opaqueness to the scene, and Osbourne, Cassie's sleek-feathered brown owl, hooted at all the sudden noise and presence of other animals.

"Well, come on, then, dear," Eleanor Alderfair said, gripping Cassie's upper arm and ushering her towards the train, not heeding the attention the dazzling woman was receiving in her fuchsia robes and the exotic-feathered quill tucked behind her right ear.

"Mum, I've done this before," Cassie said sullenly, tugging her arm out of her mother's grasp and scowling. "I'm not a child anymore."

"Of course you're not," Eleanor replied absentmindedly, returning the enthusiastic wave of a witch who must read her magazine, and Cassie resisted the urge toroll her eyes as she walked to an empty compartment where she could load her things. She found one more toward the back, where she could avoid the thickest crowd of students clustered in the middle, and turned when she reached it.

"Well, bye, Mum," she said, and returned Eleanor's sudden embrace half-heartedly as she heard her mother sigh.

"Goodbye, pumpkin," she said, pulling away dramatically and giving her a wide, pink-lipped smile. "Daddy sends his love, as well, and he hopes you have another great year."

"Tell him thanks, and I love him, too," Cassie said, if only to appease her; since starting school, the only consistent contact she had with her father were letters throughout the school year, and even those were rare. The Ministry was his first home at this point, and after her and her father's argument at the beginning of the summer… Well, she wasn't surprised that she was receiving this secondhand goodbye.

"We'll see you home for Christmas, then," Eleanor said, kissing her daughter's forehead lightly and beaming at her. "Be safe, pumpkin, and write us if you need anything. I have to go, the office needs me, but _write,_ you hear me, young lady?"

"Yeah, got it," Cassie said, forcing a smile in return as Eleanor blew a last kiss before hurrying away, out of sight amongst the throng of parents still clogging the platform to see their children off.

Cassie huffed out a sigh, more from irritation at having to load her heavy luggage alone than at her mother. Eleanor was a summer storm; there one moment and gone the next, but Cassie was used to it. She had learned to look out for herself from a very young age because of this, and her independence was something she valued greatly.

She opened the outer compartment door and first took Osbourne off the cart, as he was the lightest thing. The owl tittered and flapped his wings in annoyance when she put him inside on one of the seats, and Cassie gave him a dry look.

"Stop fretting, Ozzy," she said. "I'll let you roam about in a moment."

The owl glared at her with amber eyes, and she rolled her own as she hopped back out of the compartment, trying to figure out the best way to get her trunk in there by herself. She lifted one of the ends experimentally and cursed when it slid and rammed into her knee, a sharp breath sucking through her teeth as it began to throb.

"C'mon," she moaned, when she tried to push it next, but to no avail. She was just about to pull out her wand and jinx it to get into the stupid compartment (wondering if that was even legal; after all, wasn't the Hogwarts Express technically part of school grounds?), when a voice behind her said, "Having trouble?"

Cassie spun around, her face pinching into a puzzled expression when she saw who the person was; the last time she had seen him, he had been hightailing it away from Filch's office on the last day of the term with the rest of his juvenile friends, his face screwed up in laughter as Filch screamed about "pants" and "fire."

Sirius Black had not changed much over the summer holiday, as far as she could tell. He still had the same shaggy black hair, grey eyes, and crooked grin, with the only noticeable differences being that he had grown at least two inches, and his smile was cockier than she had remembered it – which was a feat in itself. Sirius was in her year at Hogwarts, and in the same House, and after seeing that smirking face nearly every day, she was surprised it could even _get_ any more smirking.

"I can manage," she said shortly, proving her point spectacularly when she attempted to lift her trunk again and promptly dropped it on her foot.

"I see that," he said amusedly, raising a brow when she swore violently. "Here, budge over, or else you'll end up in Madam Pomfrey's before the term even starts."

Cassie wanted to protest, but the pain in her foot made her stand back and watch as he hoisted her trunk in both hands and loaded it into the compartment with apparent ease, climbing back out and giving her a wide grin that she did not return.

"Thanks," she mumbled, about to board, as well, when his voice stopped her.

"Hey," he said, gazing at her quizzically when she turned back. "You're a Gryffindor, right?"

Cassie nodded, already preparing herself for the recognition, but he only tilted his head, seeming to study her carefully. "Are you a fourth year?"

Cassie glared at him, wondering if he was being serious or just a berk, but he looked at her as if he genuinely didn't know who she was.

"For the record, I'm in _your_ year," she said haughtily. "I've sat behind you in pretty much every class for the past four years."

His eyes widened at this, and finally, recognition dawned on his features as he began to say, "Cass—"

She didn't let him finish, already climbing aboard the train and shutting the compartment door in his face, her shoulders tense and her face flushing with mortification. She knew she wasn't very well-known around Hogwarts, but to not be recognized by one of her own _classmates?_ That was a new low, even for her.

She looked back to the window, her eyes raking the platform, but Sirius Black had already gone. She saw him standing with three other boys on the platform, talking to a set of parents that had to be James Potter's, Sirius's best friend, as the man was the spitting image of his dark-haired son.

Cassie watched James dodge another hug from his mother, instead turning her embrace on Sirius and the other two boys, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, before the train whistle blew a shrill warning and they jogged to their compartment, laughing and jostling each other as the Potters waved at them from the platform.

Cassie felt strange, watching this encounter, and instead turned her attention to the cage Osbourne was still in, unlatching the door and allowing the owl to hop out and stretch his wings.

"Oh, Ozzy," she said, scratching the owl's head as the Hogwarts Express began to trundle out of the station, the many waving hands and faces of the parents beginning to blur together as the train picked up speed. "Why do I feel like this year is going to be complicated?"

* * *

The morning passed in a haze of silence interspersed with small talk, as Cassie gained the companionship of a Ravenclaw in her year she had spoken to several times on occasion, by the name of Bellamy Armstrong.

Bellamy was a quiet but observant girl, with curly brown hair and almond-shaped eyes, and she politely asked about Cassie's holiday and what she was looking forward to the most this term before retreating behind the cover of this year's Potions book.

Cassie spent the rest of the train ride staring out the window and watching the countryside flash by, greens and browns and greys blending together as the day wore on. She munched on some Pumpkin Pasties she had bought from the trolley, and watched the tiny picture of Merlin pacing back and forth in his Chocolate Frog card before she grew tired of staring and stowed it away. Outside their quiet compartment, she could hear the shouts and laughter of the other students, but she tried to block out their noise, curling up in her seat and closing her eyes for a small nap, telling Bellamy to wake her when they got close to Hogsmeade.

When next Cassie awoke, after having been shaken by a soft but insistent Bellamy, the lanterns had flickered on and the sky outside was dark, and she could barely make out the shape of mountains in the distance when the conductor announced that they would be arriving in Hogsmeade in five minutes.

"We should change," Bellamy said, gesturing to Cassie's Muggle attire and her own, and the other girl nodded, stifling a yawn as she pulled out her school robes from the top of her trunk.

By the time the train rumbled to a stop, they were both in their black robes, though with the respective colors of their House resembled on their ties, Bellamy's being blue and bronze and Cassie's being red and gold. They followed the rest of the students disembarking the train and came out on the small platform stationed in Hogsmeade, Cassie rubbing her arms briskly from the chill of the early autumn air.

"Firs' years!" A voice boomed over the chattering crowd, and Cassie saw the gamekeeper, Hagrid, looming over all the students and holding a lamp as he called, "Firs' years, this way!"

Cassie saw the tiny, scared faces of the first years as they hesitantly approached the giant man, but she knew Hagrid would do them no harm, kindly soul he was. She remembered her own first year, when she had slipped on the rocks after exiting her boat, and Hagrid had been there to pick her back up, patting her shoulder reassuringly when she had sniffled, trying to keep from crying. The memory stuck out vividly to her, but she doubted he would be able to recall it, and the thought made her small smile vanish as she was pushed along by the crowd, making their way to the carriages that awaited the rest of them.

Cassie and Bellamy climbed into one and were joined by two Hufflepuff third years, the younger girls turning to each other and whispering as the older two shared a high-browed glance, the carriage jolting forward and making its way to the school. The carriage ride in itself was uneventful, being pulled along by some invisible force, as always, and soon, they had arrived to the castle.

The sight of Hogwarts never failed to amaze Cassie, with its high towers and turrets and windows that gleamed like tiny stars in the inky vastness of the dark sky surrounding them. Warm golden light spilled onto the stone steps they ascended, and as they crossed the threshold of the grand front doors, a feeling quite like that of coming home after a long time spread through her chest as she joined the flock of students filing into the Great Hall.

Cassie took a seat on the bench at the Gryffindor table after parting ways with Bellamy, where she was quickly joined by the ever-smiling and joyous presence of Alice Fortescue, one of the girls she shared her dormitory with.

"Cassie!" she cried, throwing her arms around Cassie's neck and managing to sit down at the same time. "It's so good to see you! How was your summer?"

"Same as ever," she replied, though she couldn't help but smile back. "What about you?"

"Oh, it was just _wonderful,"_ Alice gushed. "My parents took us to Paris…"

Cassie nodded and exclaimed where she needed to, but for the most part, she let Alice do all the talking. The long journey had made her tired and hungry, and she thought longingly of the food that was about to appear before them and her four-poster upstairs as the first years were suddenly ushered into the hall and the Sorting Hat was brought out.

Tuning out most of the Sorting (though still cheering with the other Gryffindors when another first year joined their House), Cassie looked up and down the table absentmindedly, her gaze flicking over the familiar faces and pausing on the new additions.

She watched James Potter talking animatedly to a nervous first year that had just sat down, probably already filling his mind with terrible practical jokes and crude humor, before she moved on and met a set of grey eyes already staring back at her.

She blinked, startled to meet the gaze of Sirius Black as she took in his quizzical frown and scrunched brows, as if he were trying to place her face or her name. Cassie quickly dropped her eyes down to her lap as the Sorting finished, and the Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, began to speak from the head table.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" he said, and there was a round of applause at this before he continued. "Now, I don't want to keep you – or myself, for that matter – from this wonderful feast we are all waiting for, but I would like to say a few words beforehand."

Professor Dumbledore looked out at them all from behind his half-moon spectacles, his demeanor turning solemn as he spoke again.

"While dark times may have befallen outside of these walls, Hogwarts will always remain a safe haven to those in need of one," he said seriously, and Cassie shifted in her seat when she thought his sharp eyes strayed to her. "This year will be one of respect, tolerance, hard work, and above all, love and loyalty. May our spirits never dim against the shadows!"

There were a few toasts with empty goblets around the hall, before Professor Dumebledore smiled genially once more and announced, "Dig in!"

Food suddenly appeared before them, and talk immediately broke out once more when the headmaster sat down, the mood turning light once again. Cassie loaded food onto her golden plate half-heartedly, her stomach churning after hearing the headmaster's words. They had reminded her far too much of the argument she had had with her father upon returning home last term, and the memory made her feel faintly ill when she recalled it.

Squashing it down, however, she turned to engage Alice in conversation once more, unaware of the grey eyes that had returned back to her in curiosity from further down the table.

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 **It's a slow start, sorry, but things will begin to pick up next time!**

 **Please review!**

 ***Note: the first version of this chapter had Armando Dippet as Headmaster, but after doing some background checking, Dumbledore was actually Headmaster when the Marauders were at Hogwarts; shame on me, I know, but it's fixed now***


	2. The Most Annoying of Stares

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I was pleasantly surprised by the feedback I got from the first chapter, so here is the second!**

 **Thank you to all the favorites and follows so far, and thank you to my first reviewers: ChizomenoHime and redcap64!**

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Chapter Two: The Most Annoying of Stares

"Look at this," Alice said in dismay, shoving her schedule into Cassie's face and narrowly avoiding the spoonful of porridge that was currently on its way to her mouth. "Double Charms _and_ Double Potions? All before _lunch?"_

Cassie didn't immediately respond, letting the porridge sit on her tongue for a moment as she quickly scanned Alice's schedule, relieved to see that they had almost precisely the same classes together, save for the fact that Cassie's electives were Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures while Alice had Divination and Muggle Studies in those blocks.

"At least we'll get it out of the way first," she said optimistically, pointing to a blank spot on their schedules. "And we get a break between the two."

"I guess," Alice said, tracing her finger up and down the parchment before landing on 'Defense Against the Dark Arts.'

"Do you reckon this new teacher is going to be any good?" she asked, and Cassie followed her gaze up to the staff table, her eyes picking out the newest addition of a tall, severe-looking blonde witch, who Dumbledore had introduced the night before as Professor Claudia Carlisle.

"Dunno," Cassie said, shrugging. "She looks like she's constantly sucking on a lemon, though, so I wouldn't get your hopes up."

Alice nodded distractedly, her gaze now resting on a dark-haired boy sitting some ways down the bench from them, and Cassie recognized the gangly, clumsy frame of Frank Longbottom. Grinning slightly at this revelation, Cassie went back to her porridge as Professor McGonagall swept up and down the Gryffindor table, passing out more schedules as she went.

"Jones – where is Harper Jones? Ah, yes, there you are – tuck in your shirt, Jones, we are not slobs in Gryffindor House!"

"Yes, Professor," Jones muttered, tucking in his shirt and quickly adjusting his black robe to cover the failed attempt as McGonagall walked on.

"Potter," she said, coming to a stop behind James and glowering disapprovingly at his untidy black hair, but the professor must have sensed this was a lost cause already as she just handed him his schedule.

"Now, Potter, I expect you to be on your best behavior this year," she said sternly, fixing the boy with her piercing gaze as James looked back to her innocently. "I just hope that your friend Mr. Lupin will help to keep you out of too much trouble."

Curious, Cassie looked at the sandy-haired boy across from James, her eyebrows rising when she noticed the Prefect badge pinned to his robes.

"Professor, you know I wouldn't _dare_ think to get myself into trouble," James said, widening his hazel eyes in mock earnestness. "Everything that's ever happened to me has just been unfortunate circumstance."

Professor McGonagall said nothing, though her lips twitched slightly when everyone in the vicinity chuckled under their breath at his words.

"Best behavior, Potter," she replied curtly. "And that goes for you, too, Mr. Black." She eyed the boy sitting next to James with equal intensity before sweeping off down the table, and Cassie watched Sirius and James share a grin as she left.

"Good one, James!" Peter Pettigrew sniggered, his round face lit up in admiration, and Cassie rolled her eyes before going back to her porridge. Five years later, and Pettigrew still acted as if Potter and Black were the greatest things since sliced bread.

"We should get going soon," Alice said, glancing at her watch. "Classes start at nine, and I don't want to be late our first day back."

Cassie nodded, draining the last of her pumpkin juice and standing as Alice gathered her book bag. The two girls started out of the Great Hall, bypassing James Potter as he belched loudly, and Cassie wrinkled her nose as those nearest roared with laughter, wondering how that could even possibly be funny.

She cast the group of boys a cursory glance, just as Sirius Black looked up and made eye contact with her. Familiarity flashed in his silver gaze, and before Cassie could avert her eyes, she saw him lean over to James and whisper something that made the bespectacled boy turn and grin at her, the same smirk playing across Sirius's face, as well.

Feeling heat prickle her cheeks, Cassie quickened her pace, remaining silent as Alice chatted on about something she hadn't been paying attention to, and she was relieved when they exited the Great Hall and the intensity of Potter's and Black's stares dissipated.

They climbed the great marble staircase together, heading for the third floor as other students ambled past, the older ones taking their time getting to class while first years walked together in small packs, their eyes wide and quite a few of them looking frightened at the prospect of searching for one classroom in such a huge castle.

"Were we that small when we were first years?" Alice asked, watching a first year boy scuttle past that was considerably shorter than them, and Cassie shrugged.

"Probably," she said. "I'm pretty sure everyone looks like that at some point, though."

"The wonders of puberty," Alice agreed, and Cassie snorted.

They made their way down the Charms corridor, all thoughts of Potter and Black pushed to the back of her mind as she debated the various heights of first years with Alice. They entered the Charms classroom and took a seat in the very middle of all the joint desks, being the first ones to arrive, even before Professor Flitwick.

The class started to fill as it got closer to nine, fifth-year Ravenclaws and Gryffindors drifting in with laughter and conversations, the mood light and happy after a summer holiday away from school.

When the bell struck nine o'clock, Professor Flitwick bumbled into the classroom, humming genially to himself as he took a seat behind his desk, sitting atop a stack of textbooks so he could peer out to the class.

"Good morning, and welcome back!" He greeted in his high, squeaky voice. "I trust you all had a wonderful holiday, and made sure to remember all those charms we learned last year?"

There were a few nervous chuckles from around the room, but Cassie noticed the Ravenclaws trading smug looks and guessed that they had not forgotten.

"Would anyone care to give me the names of one of the spells we learned last year?" Professor Flitwick asked, and immediately several Ravenclaws' hands shot into the air. "Yes, go ahead, Miss Flynn."

 _"Accio,_ sir, the Summoning Charm," a girl with dark blonde hair said, and Flitwick nodded proudly.

"Excellent, five points to Ravenclaw," he said. "What else? Yes, Mr. Myers?"

"The Banishing Charm, _Depulso,"_ the Ravenclaw boy said, and Flitwick smiled.

"Take another five points for Ravenclaw," he chirped, looking around the room and eyeing all the shuffling students whose hands were not raised. "Come now, class, it's only been a few short months! What other spells did we learn?"

"The Seize and Pull Charm," a voice called from the back, and Cassie turned around to see James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin enter the classroom, Remus and Peter slinking into open seats together while James grinned from the doorway, he having been the one to have spoken. _"Carpe Retractum."_

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Professor Flitwick said, nodding curtly as he and Black took the last two seats open, two rows behind Cassie. "I had hoped with today being the first day of classes you would be punctual, but since you answered my question correctly, I won't take any points. This time."

He eyed Potter sternly, and the boy grinned, looking sheepish, but Cassie could see his arrogance shining through clear as day.

"It won't happen again, Professor," Potter promised. "See, we actually _like_ Charms."

"Probably because it's one of the only things you're good at," Black said, slapping Potter on the back as the rest of the class tittered at the look of mock hurt on the bespectacled boy's face.

"All right, settle down, class," Professor Flitwick said, holding up a hand as Cassie turned back to the front, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling the two gave her after remembering their stares this morning. "Let's continue on with our review…"

The next two hours passed slowly for Cassie. Not having to learn anything new just yet, and having retained her notes from last year, she let her mind drift as Professor Flitwick ambled along, doodling lazily on a piece of parchment she had pulled out just in case.

Occasionally, she would hear Potter or Black snigger from behind her, and though this was not a new thing after spending so many classes with them, she couldn't help but feel that their whispers were directed at _her._

 _Don't be stupid._ She thought to herself scathingly. _You've never spoken to them before, and they've never even noticed you until now. Why would they be talking about you?_

But the feeling persisted, and when the bell rang to signal the end of class, she stood up and packed her things slowly, hoping Potter and Black and their two friends would leave before her so she didn't have to walk past them again.

Fortunately, luck was on her side, for when she turned around, slinging her book bag over her shoulder, the four boys were gone, and she let out a tiny sigh of relief.

"Do you want to go for a walk outside?" Alice asked, after they bid Professor Flitwick a good day and departed the classroom. "It's so nice today, and I want to enjoy this weather while it lasts."

Cassie was about to answer, but stopped when she heard a familiar snicker nearby. Whirling around, she spotted Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew huddled in a little group beside the classroom, but they were looking elsewhere rather than at her – probably poking fun at another student, she presumed, and the thought made a muscle in her jaw twitch, though she was secretly glad their laughter wasn't directed at her. Black turned just then to say something to Potter, catching Cassie's eye as he did so, and she gave him the most baleful glare she could manage, narrowing her eyes in a silent warning.

Black seemed to pay her no mind, dropping her gaze quickly and saying something that caused the four of them to roar with laughter, and Cassie shook her head, her face feeling warm at the short interaction.

"Walking sounds like an excellent idea," she said, scowling, and before Alice could say anything else, she had grabbed the other girl's arm and dragged her off down the corridor.

* * *

By the time they entered the Great Hall for dinner later that day, Cassie's stomach was rumbling with hunger, the quick lunch she had scarfed down earlier a forgotten memory as the scent of food reached her nostrils, making her mouth water with the delicious aroma.

The day had slipped by surprisingly quickly after Charms, despite the dreaded Double Potions, and her Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures classes after lunch. So far, they had yet to be assigned any homework, but Cassie shuddered at the thought of Double Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall tomorrow, already knowing that the stern witch would undoubtedly assign them a whole chapter to read from their textbook – if she was being lenient. She had warned them all in their last class of the term before summer that fifth year was O.W.L year, and that meant the most arduous and excessive work would be given to them as preparation for the exams next summer.

The thought made Cassie's heart warm like nothing else.

"Cassie! Over here!" Alice called, waving her hand to get Cassie's attention, and she saw the other girl patting an empty seat beside her as Cassie walked over, her stomach nearly whining at this point.

Cassie took her seat next to Alice, looking across from them to see the other two girls they shared their dormitory with, Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans, sitting facing them.

"Hey, Cassie," Lily said warmly, smiling at Cassie as Marlene waved, too busy chewing to say a proper greeting.

"Hey, Lily," Cassie returned. "Sorry I missed you and Marlene last night; I was just so tired I couldn't help falling asleep."

Lily laughed, her pretty heart-shaped face lighting up with the sound, and she noticed that a silver Prefect badge that matched Remus Lupin's glinted on her robes.

"Don't worry about it," she said. "We were all pretty tired."

"Not on Cassie's level, though," Marlene grinned. "I forgot how much you snored."

Cassie rolled her eyes, filling her plate high with shepherd's pie and buttery rolls, though she smiled all the same.

"Snoring is good for you," she joked. "I mean, it totally cleared up my complexion. See? Look."

She stroked her cheek playfully, and the other girls laughed, making a warm feeling spread through Cassie as she began to eat. She would never dare crack a joke like that at home, in fear of earning disapproving looks from her parents, and the only other person in her family that she could play around with was gone, sucked into some mysterious group that she feared would never give him back.

Swallowing past the sudden tightness in her throat, Cassie tuned back into the conversation, taking a swig of pumpkin juice as Marlene suddenly burst out, "Why does he keep _looking_ down here?"

"Who, Potter?" Lily said, not even bothering to look up from buttering her roll as Cassie and Alice exchanged a knowing glance. It was no secret that James Potter was like a lovesick puppy when it came to Lily Evans, but Marlene's answer made them all look up at her.

"No, surprisingly not," she said, frowning. "Black's the one who keeps staring."

Cassie paused, her fork halfway to her mouth as a flare of indignation swept through her. Craning her neck, she looked to see that Black was indeed staring over at them, and she glowered when they made eye contact for what seemed like the hundredth time since yesterday. For Merlin's _sake,_ what did he want from her?

"Just ignore him," Cassie muttered, going back to eating her shepherd's pie as Marlene shrugged, turning away.

"I guess he's decided to take a leaf out of Potter's book this year," she said, shaking her head. "I just don't understand why boys think it's acceptable to stare at girls. And not in a "I'm-madly-in-love-with-you" type of way. More like, "I'm-going-to-watch-you-in-your-sleep" type of way."

Cassie snorted into her pumpkin juice as Alice and Lily laughed.

"I agree," Alice said, grinning. "It's the most annoying of stares."

"Who d'you think he was looking at, though?" Marlene asked, chancing a glance back down the table, and Cassie copied her, though luckily Black had gone back to dinner and talking to his own friends.

At Marlene's question, however, she looked back to her plate and shrugged, trying not to look too guilty. She didn't know why, but admitting it was her who Black was staring at did not bode well with her. The whole ordeal was dredging up memories of last year, when all the students – and even some of the staff – had begun to look at her as if she had grown another head after the rumor had spread about her brother. The reminder left a pinched feeling in her gut, and she suddenly wasn't as hungry anymore as Marlene sighed dramatically.

"Well, I honestly wouldn't mind if he was staring at _me,"_ she said, tossing back her strawberry-blonde hair as her blue eyes twinkled wickedly. "He's grown quite attractive over the summer, hasn't he?"

Lily and Alice wrinkled their noses at this, and Cassie scoffed.

"Yeah, about as attractive as a flobberworm can get," she said, and this caused Lily and Alice to laugh again, Marlene sharing a tiny grin, though she didn't push the subject of Black's staring further, which came as a great relief to Cassie.

"Speaking of flobberworms," Lily said, finishing off the last of her roll in one pristine bite and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Do you think Professor Kettleburn is going to let us take care of one this year?"

"Maybe," Cassie said, as Alice and Marlene started their own separate conversation; they had decided to take Divination over Care of Magical Creatures in their third year, so it was just Cassie and Lily in that class. "Don't you think they're a bit tame, though?"

Lily shrugged. "I just hope he doesn't make us test our wilderness survival skills again," she said, shuddering. "That was the worst thing _ever."_

Cassie thought back to their final exam last year with Professor Kettleburn, which had been a practical test to see if they could trek a short distance into the Forbidden Forest on a trail the professor had designed like an obstacle course filled with magical creatures, and she suppressed a shudder when she remembered her near-miss with a Blast-Ended Skrewt. She still had the singed sock and the burn mark on her ankle from where the creature had tried to blast her, and she agreed whole-heartedly with the other girl.

"I talked to one of the Hufflepuffs in Herbology today about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Lily said, changing the subject, and Cassie looked up in interest. "Oh?"

"Yeah, he said he had her this morning," she confirmed, tucking a long strand of red hair behind her ear.

"What did he say?" she asked, finishing off the last of her dinner and eyeing the platter of treacle tarts resting nearby longingly.

"That she was extremely strict, and had a short temper," she said. "He told me that she took ten points from a student just because he was chewing gum."

Cassie groaned. "Why do we always have to get the worst Defense teachers?"

"I don't know," Lily said, frowning. "I just hope she isn't like Professor Swann. Remember him?"

"How could I not?" Cassie replied, thinking back to their second year professor with a grimace. "He almost let a student get eaten by the giant squid."

"Maybe she'll be a good teacher, though," Lily said, looking up to the staff table, and for the second time that day, Cassie's eyes sought out the strict witch seated at the left wing of the table, her white-blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun that heightened her sharp features as she surveyed the students below with frosty eyes.

Suddenly, those icy eyes were upon her, and Cassie dropped her gaze quickly, hoping the professor wouldn't remember her rude staring when class came the next day.

"Yeah, maybe," she agreed without conviction, taking another swig of pumpkin juice and hoping that the drink would melt some of the ice that had suddenly coated her insides when Professor Carlisle had looked at her.

* * *

 **Please review! Anything you liked, disliked, are looking forward to? Let me know!**

 **Next Chapter: _The New Professor_**

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	3. The New Professor

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I've been on a roll with updating this story frequently, which is very shocking, to say the least. It won't last forever, sadly, but I'm enjoying it while I can.**

 **Thank you to the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: 9632mp, Radio Free Death, ChizomenoHime, and Meo (Guest)!**

* * *

Chapter Three: The New Professor

It was no secret that the entirety of the Hogwarts' student body despised History of Magic the most. Even the most studious, strong-willed Ravenclaw would agree that they could hardly keep their eyes open during a lesson, even if they took a dose of Everett's Everlasting-Energy Potion to sustain them.

Though the subject itself was not horribly dull, it seemed that the ever-monotonous tone and melancholic demeanor of Professor Binns was what made the class so dreadful. (Then again, perhaps if one were a ghost teaching the same subject matter for a few centuries, they, too, would completely give up on making the lessons interesting).

This was Cassie's opinion on the matter, at least, and this is what she chose to think about instead of listening to Professor Binns drone on about the importance of OWLs (the same speech had been made in every one of her classes the day before, however, which only made Binns' spiel doubly boring).

With this class being her first of the day, combined with Binns' flat voice and her stomach contentedly filled with five bacon sandwiches (a number Marlene had found appalling at breakfast), Cassie felt as if she could fall asleep right then and there – if it weren't for James Potter and Sirius Black.

They had chosen to sit in the row on her left, across the aisle, flanked perpetually by Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. She tried not to think too much on their proximity to her, attempting to convince herself that it was coincidence only; after all, she had arrived not too soon before them, but had been late enough to relegate herself a seat in the very back with a snoring Hufflepuff boy beside her (an unfortunate consequence of her infatuation with bacon sandwiches that morning). So that meant that the other back row had been reserved for the most obnoxious of her classmates, naturally. At least Lupin was the closest one to her – he actually seemed to be the sensible one of the lot.

It was quite hard for her to fall asleep, however, as Potter and Black seemed incapable of _shutting up._ Sniggers and whispers kept penetrating her slip into unconsciousness, and her annoyance was growing with each sleepless minute. _What_ could they possibly have to say to each other so constantly? There were worse than gossiping girls, honestly.

Unfortunately, her troubles didn't seem to be present amongst anyone else in the class. Most of the students were already sleeping with their head on the desk or slumped in their seats, while the rest stared into space with slack jaws and glazed eyes. The only ones who seemed remotely awake were Potter and Black, of course, and Lily, sitting in front with a dozing Marlene while she listened raptly to Binns' ongoing monologue of monotony. Even Lupin – one of the top students in their class, much to Cassie's incredulity – was oddly subdued.

"…OWLs are the most important exams in defining the rest of your school years and the careers you wish to pursue afterwards…" Binns went on, and Cassie closed her eyes in silent prayer.

 _For the love of Merlin, please let it end._

"Psst. Hey. Hey!"

 _This isn't what I meant. Please just let me die, is what I was asking._

"Adderfall!"

"It's _Alderfair,_ idiot."

 _Anytime now…_

"Alderfair!"

Cassie snapped her eyes open, scowling when a rolled up piece of parchment paper bounced across her desk in an attempt to get her attention, the ball hitting her snoring Hufflepuff mate in the face as she whipped her head around.

"What in the bloody _hell_ is so urgent?" she snapped, seeing the four boys all staring at her, though Lupin was the only one with enough sense to turn away and pretend to listen to Binns.

From the cocky grin on Potter's face, she guessed he had been the one to throw the parchment at her. Pettigrew was looking on in mild amusement, which only made her even more suspicious, but the most surprising of all was that Black, for once, was not even paying her attention. It seemed that his staring spell the day before had worn off.

"Cool it, Alderfair, I was just gonna ask if you had a spare quill I could use." Potter looked to her earnestly – _too_ earnestly, but she was so thrown she barely even noticed. Not once, in the past four years, had Potter ever spoken to her; she had been with Lily numerous times whenever he tried one of his moronic advances upon her, but he had never registered she was ever there, apparently. And now he was asking her for a quill.

Cassie blinked once before reaching into her bag and pulling out one of her extra quills. She was reluctant to hand it over; it was a nice eagle-feathered quill, very sleek and elegant, and even had her initials monogrammed in gold on it: C.A. It had been a gift from her mother last Christmas, and seeing as she only had three, she was very protective of them. But if it would get Potter off her back…

"Fine, here," she muttered, thrusting the quill at him – or rather, Lupin, who took it across the aisle hesitantly before handing it off to Potter.

Potter grinned, a twinkle in his eye she didn't like as he said, "Thanks."

Cassie said nothing, instead trying to focus back on what Binns was saying, as her chances of a nap were nonexistent at this point. She had been listening for all of about ten seconds before something flew through the air, right at Binns, and passed through his transparent forehead, causing him to stop mid-monologue and for half the class to suddenly wake up as the object clattered to the flagstone floor.

Cassie was frozen, staring at her professor in horror as he frowned and looked at the object that had passed through his head – an eagle-feathered quill with her initials engraved upon it.

There was a very long, tense silence, before Professor Binns gestured vaguely to Frank Longbottom, who was sitting nearest the quill.

"Mr. er…Longshanks," Professor Binns intoned. "If you wouldn't mind…"

Frank nodded dumbly, his eyes still looking very glassy, but he picked up the quill and held it out to Binns nonetheless, as Potter snickered heartily and Cassie's heart beat madly.

"Who threw this object?" Professor Binns sighed, his melancholic expression never wavering as the class was silent, save for Potter and the other boys' muffled laughter.

"There's initials, sir," Frank pointed out, and Cassie wanted to scream; damn Longbottom and his integrity! "C.A."

"C.A…" Binns mused, sounding almost bored. "I believe that would belong to Castor Aldfield back there, perhaps?"

He inclined his translucent head at her, and Cassie felt her face flame when the half of the class that was awake turned around to stare at her.

Marlene made a face at Cassie as if to say, _What the hell, Cass?,_ but Lily's green eyes immediately sought out Potter and Cassie saw them flash when she saw he was laughing with his mates.

"Cassie didn't throw that quill, Professor," she said, turning back to face Binns with a steely glint in her gaze. "It was Potter and his childish friends back there."

Professor Binns didn't seem to hear her, rather looking at Cassie as if he had never seen her before as she grit her teeth, her face still hot.

"Landburrow, please return Miss Anderfan's quill to her," he finally said. "I will inform Professor McGonagall of this incident at a later time."

Frank walked back to where Cassie sat, grimacing apologetically as he handed her back her quill.

Cassie shook her head once, hoping he would understand it to mean that she didn't blame him, and luckily he seemed to get it, giving her a tiny smile as he went back to sit with Alice, who was glaring acidly at Potter.

"As I was saying…" Professor Binns continued his speech as if nothing had happened, which gave Cassie an opportunity to whirl on Potter, her face still flushed angrily.

"What game are you playing at, Potter?" she hissed, and he had the audacity to scoff at her.

"Oh, come off it, Alderfair," he said, smirking at her arrogantly, and she had the sudden urge to jump across the aisle and slap that smug grin off his face. "You wanted something to spice up this boring class, too."

"Not at _my_ expense, though!" she said hotly, before throwing Potter a last dark look when it was clear he was not going to apologize. "And you wonder why Evans won't date you."

With that, she turned back to the front of the room and stared straight ahead, fuming. She could hear Potter spluttering and trying to defend himself while his friends laughed at his antics, and she felt a sort of vicious pride run through her. Cassie Alderfair, the Invisible Girl of Hogwarts, had just one-upped the Prankster King himself.

Maybe the comment about Lily's rejection of Potter's advances had been a bit harsh, but she doubted she would take them back if she had the chance. Cassie had listened to enough of Lily's rants in their dorm to know what she thought of the "immature, absolutely childish, _arrogant_ toerag of a human being" that was James Potter. And suffice to say, she felt that she had hit the nail on the head with that one.

After another agonizing hour spent with Professor Binns, the class finally ended, and Cassie rushed out of the door, waiting some ways away from the classroom as to avoid Potter and his merry band of miscreants as they exited, luckily walking in the opposite direction of her as Lily, Marlene, and Alice joined her, quickly leaping to her defense.

"I cannot _believe_ Potter would do that to you!" Lily immediately said, shaking her head in disgust. "The _nerve_ of him!"

"Do you think Binns will tell McGonagall, though?" Alice asked, as the four began to walk down the corridor together, and Cassie shrugged.

"Dunno," she said sullenly, though she was glad she had their support. "He's a stickler for rules, but I wouldn't be surprised if he forgot about it until Easter."

"I'd be shocked if you actually _did_ get into trouble over this," Marlene said. "You've never even gotten a detention before!"

"Yeah," Cassie said, her stomach turning slightly at the thought; getting a detention wouldn't help her anonymity, and so far, she was enjoying being unrecognizable this year. The stares and the whispers that had followed in her wake last year had disappeared, and it seemed she was going back to her invisible self, finally.

"We should go to the library for break," Lily said, and the other three looked to her as if a third arm had suddenly sprouted from her chest as she looked back, puzzled.

"Lily, it's the _second_ day of school," Marlene said in bewilderment. "What do we possibly have to study for?"

"It'd be nice to get a head start," Lily said defensively. "We have OWLs this year, and you know how important they are!"

"Mar's right," Alice pointed out. "I'm not saying we shouldn't study," she said hastily to Lily's glare, "but those exams are ages away; we should just enjoy the free time while it lasts, yeah?"

Lily seemed to ponder on this, uncertain, before finally sighing after catching the hopeful looks on her friends' faces.

"Fine," she conceded, raising her voice to be heard over their cheering. "But just this once, until exams are over!"

"The Great Prefect has spoken!" Cassie announced dramatically. "We are free!"

The other girls laughed, and Cassie felt a warm glow rush through her at the sound; she didn't have many friends at Hogwarts, but she would be forever grateful for the bond she shared with these three girls. After living with them for the majority of a year since she was eleven, they had grown so close, and they were part of what made her love Hogwarts so much.

They escaped the confines of the castle and made their way across the grounds, the sky shimmering blue and the air blissfully cool, and all thoughts of Potter and Black were pushed from her mind as a sense of peace washed over her.

* * *

Of course, Cassie's good mood did not last.

After a very long and uneventful day following the disaster in History of Magic, she arrived to her last class of the day with Alice beside her, both of them curious and slightly apprehensive to finally see their new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

They walked into the classroom on the fourth floor where the rest of their Defense classes had been held years prior, but the first thing Cassie noticed upon entering was that there was no decoration at all.

Their previous professors had all attempted to give the same classroom their own personal touch (she shuddered after remembering Professor Swann's twinkling fairy lights that seemed intent on burning every student before the year was up), but now the high-ceilinged classroom was devoid of anything – even desks.

"Um…" Alice stopped and stared, causing Cassie to pause as well as she realized that none of the students were sitting, but rather standing in a nervous cluster in the middle of the bare room.

"Did they give her a new room?" she wondered aloud, as they ventured deeper into the room and joined the huddled Gryffindors. She was disappointed to see that they would be sharing their class with Slytherins this year, as she took in the green and silver ties of the other half of the students standing some feet away from them, and by the disgruntled looks on her fellow Gryffindors' faces, she could tell that they weren't positively thrilled, either.

No one answered her, for just then Potter swaggered into the classroom, laughing royally at something Black had said as Lupin and Pettigrew followed along, chuckling quietly but still looking very amused as Black smirked.

The other Gryffindors eyed the group with expressions ranging from amusement to exasperation, with Cassie and Alice falling into the latter category. As a few girls struck up conversations with the boys, Lily and Marlene sidled to their sides, Lily positively glaring at Potter as he tousled his hair and winked at one of the girls.

"Ugh, he is so full of himself," she said, rolling her eyes. "Did he even apologize to you, Cassie?"

Cassie shook her head, watching another girl – Karen Hartley, she remembered – practically drooling over Black. "Nope."

Lily made a frustrated noise. "Of course not. He's got the manners of a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"Have you lot noticed anything…strange going on here?" Alice said, only half-listening to Lily as she stared at the four boys with an odd expression on her face.

"Definitely," Marlene affirmed, nodding as she looked, also, though Cassie noticed her eyes fixed upon Black. Even Lily seemed knowledgeable as to what they were talking about, but Cassie looked at all of them in bewilderment.

"Can someone explain to me what's so strange?" she said, and Marlene took her eyes off of Black long enough to give Cassie "The Look," which told her she was being incredibly dense, as was the case in a lot of matters.

"The Marauders," she said simply, and sighed when Cassie gave her a blank look. "It's what they've taken to calling themselves this year: Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew."

"That's…stupid," Cassie said. "Yet oddly fitting."

"I wasn't talking about _that_ strange thing," Alice broke in. "I was referring to the fact that nearly every girl in fifth year has taken a liking to them."

She gestured to the fawning girls still crowding around the newly dubbed "Marauders," and Cassie made a face while Lily snorted derisively.

"Have they no sense?" she said. "How could any girl fancy a bloke like Potter, or Black? Lupin, I understand, and though Pettigrew is a stretch, he's actually very sweet. But _Potter?_ And _Black?"_

Marlene shrugged. "You have to admit, they _did_ get more attractive this summer."

Lily scowled, but Cassie took this opportunity to study them more closely, wondering where Marlene had even pulled that thought from. She had to slightly agree, however, as she finally began to take notice of their growing features.

Potter had always been a decent-looking fellow, if he wasn't such a puffed-up cream ball all the time; though tall and lanky, he was still very coordinated, and his untidy black hair, glasses, and hazel eyes only enhanced his looks, which probably attributed to his overflowing ego. Lupin was quite nice, too, with sandy hair and pale green eyes, though several white scars marred his otherwise clear skin, giving his face a hard edge that did not go with his soft demeanor. Pettigrew was as short as he ever was, though his blond hair was cut in a fashion that appropriately balanced out his round face and watery blue eyes, and it seemed that he had finally lost all of his baby fat, making him look slightly older. And Black, she was annoyed to see, was coming of age as gracefully and arrogantly as ever; she had been hearing girls whisper about his fine aristocratic looks since third year, and she had always (pettily) wished he would get uglier as they aged, so his attractiveness could finally go hand-in-hand with his personality. But as she watched the girls continue to flirt with him and the other Marauders, she gave up that wish regretfully and instead turned back to her friends.

"Where's Professor Carlisle?" she asked. "She should be here by now."

"And she is." A frosty voice said from behind her, and Cassie turned to see the new professor glide into the classroom, the clustered students immediately parting for her as she swept through them, her black robes billowing grandly.

Professor Carlisle turned to face them when she reached a large desk Cassie had not noticed before that she presumed was the teacher's as she regarded them all coolly with piercing grey eyes.

She was a very tall woman, Cassie noticed, and very willowy, though she seemed unnaturally tense, as if she were poised for a fight. Her hair was so blonde it almost appeared white, pulled back in an immaculate bun that enhanced her dangerously sharp features, her lips tinted a blood-red that contrasted greatly with her alabaster skin. All in all, she seemed a very frightening woman, and Cassie opted to stare at her shoes when her razor-like gaze traveled over the class, suddenly reminded of the uneasy feeling she had experienced at dinner the night before.

"Welcome to your fifth year of Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said in her cold, clipped voice. "I am Professor Carlisle."

Silence.

When no one spoke, she extracted her wand from within her robes and flicked it once, and several seconds later, desks came crashing down from the ceiling, narrowly avoiding students as they yelped and jumped out of the way, now standing disorderly amongst the new rows of desks.

"One thing you will learn very quickly is that I am not like your other professors," she said, continuing on as if nothing had happened. "I have read all of your student profiles, and I have seen your past grades, achievements, and shortcomings, and based on this information, I have assigned you all to a seat already."

There was a collective groan from the class at this that was instantly quelled by her cold glare, and Cassie felt her heart sink, meeting Alice, Lily, and Marlene's eyes anxiously.

"First three desks in the front will be as ordered: Remus Lupin, far right; Cassiopeia Alderfair, center; and Edmund Avery, far left."

Cassie tried not to look as disgruntled as she felt as she took her new seat; Lupin and Avery were not her ideal seatmates, considering one was a Marauder and the other a Slytherin bully who looked far from pleased as he sat to her left.

Professor Carlisle went on, rattling names off her roster, and Cassie was miffed to see that nearly all the Gryffindors were separated while most of the Slytherins were still put together. Cassie would bet one hundred Galleons that Carlisle herself had been a Slytherin when she attended school, and this was her way of showing favoritism to her old House as she put Potter and Black on complete opposite sides of the room, yet still sat Kanin Mulciber and Severus Snape side-by-side.

When Professor Carlisle read off Snape's name, there were several hisses from behind her, and she turned to see the skinny, greasy-haired boy take his seat, the hisses coming from Potter and Black, namely, as they glared at him poisonously.

Cassie had never associated with Snape, despite his close friendship to Lily that still puzzled her every time she thought about it. She knew Potter and Black detested Snape (for reasons beyond her, but probably stemming from their arrogance), as did practically everyone in the whole school. But he was far enough away from them to avoid any confrontations, which had probably been Carlisle's exact attempt, and she turned back to the front when Carlisle finished doling out names.

"Now," she said, her voice seeming to gain an even sharper edge as she faced the class. "Your previous professors, from what I gathered, were very knowledgeable witches and wizards, yet very unpromising on anything that went strictly beyond what was written in a book."

Several glances and smirks were traded at this, as many students remembered Professor Swann's brilliant plan for a practical "real-world" lesson that almost ended with the giant squid drowning a student. However, Professor Carlisle went on with no heed to this.

"My purpose, therefore, is to start preparing you for what is beyond these walls," she said, her voice stern and serious. "There are powers in this world that not even spellbooks can ready you for, and it is my job to teach you how to distinguish these threats, and how to combat them."

She raked her frigid gaze over the class, and Cassie felt a chill go down her spine when those eyes landed on her.

"Miss Alderfair, could you tell the class of the differences between a banshee and a hag?" she said, and Cassie blinked, frantically racking her brain for an answer as those cold eyes bored into her, emotionless and stony.

"Er…one of them screams?" she said, and she felt her face heat when she heard faint snickers and laughs from behind her.

Professor Carlisle raised a pale eyebrow at her, not looking amused in the slightest, and Cassie slumped in her seat a little at the unsettling look.

"Well, it seems obvious that you haven't even bothered to open your book thus far this year, Miss Alderfair," she said coolly, and Cassie grimaced. "I expected better from you, being the daughter of such prominent parents and the sister of quite a Hogwarts legend, from what I hear."

Cassie wished the ground would open up and swallow her; she was afraid she was going to fall out of her desk entirely if she sunk any lower in her seat, but her palms were beginning to sweat as she felt the stares boring into her back, the same stares she had endured the year before when people found out about her brother.

"Quidditch Captain, Head Boy, and, as Professor Flitwick puts it, one of the most gifted students in Charms he has had the pleasure to teach," she went on, and Cassie wondered why she was even bringing all of this up. "A shame to see where all that potential went."

This struck a nerve within Cassie, and she found herself suddenly sitting very straight in her seat, her fists clenched on her desk as she stared at Professor Carlisle, her argument with her father coming to the forefront of her mind once again.

"Yeah," she said, her voice coming out an octave higher than normal. "Having a Death Eater in the family is a right shame; but having a professor that doesn't know how to keep her nose out of business that isn't hers is worse, in my opinion."

There were several gasps that rippled from the class, but Cassie didn't seem to hear them, her attention fixed solely on Professor Carlisle. Her blank expression had remained intact after her words, but Cassie saw her grey eyes darken, like a cloud filling with rain as no one moved or spoke.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for disrupting my class with unnecessary commentary," she said finally, in that same cool voice. "And another five for failing to answer my original question."

This seemed to break through Cassie's angry haze, and she could practically feel the disapproving looks she was receiving from her fellow Gryffindors as she forced herself to unclench her hands, breathing deeply through her nose.

She turned her head slightly when she still felt a pair of eyes on her, and through a curtain of dark hair she could see Avery looking her up and down thoughtfully, as if he were sizing her up.

Clenching her teeth, Cassie ignored him and brought out her book from her bag, placing it on her desk with a little more force than necessary. Professor Carlisle gave her a slight look from the corner of her eye as she began reciting the various differences between a banshee and a hag, but Cassie glared right back, the sudden anger that had overtaken her not quite gone.

All in all, she thought, this year was already off to a bad start.

* * *

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 **Next Chapter: _The Unexpected Exchange_**

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	4. The Unexpected Exchange

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! This chapter is a bit shorter than expected, but next chapter features a very important Marauder, so I hope you can forgive me for the abruptness of this one.**

 **Thank you for all the favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: BlueAngel2213, ChizomenoHime, Meo (Guest), and Guest 1!**

* * *

Chapter Four: The Unexpected Exchange

"Cassie, you're going to have to get up eventually."

"There is a difference between 'having' to do something, and 'wanting' to do something," the young witch pointed out, currently buried in a tomb of sheets and pillows atop her four-poster bed in the dormitory she shared with the other three girls.

She could practically feel Marlene rolling her eyes.

"It's only the fourth day of classes," she countered. "You can't skive off just because you don't want to go to Defense."

"I can, and I will," Cassie retorted, knowing she was being childish, but her memory of their first class was still haunting her two days later.

Marlene sighed. "Fine, stay here. But do you really think this is a good way of getting Professor Carlisle to like you?"

"I don't want her to _like_ me," Cassie sniffed, emerging from her nest to glare at Marlene as the other girl stood at the foot of her bed, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. "I just want her to be like every other teacher I've had and ignore me completely."

"Purposefully going out of your way to try and be ignored is only going to bring you more attention," Marlene said logically. "I get that you don't want a repeat of last year, Cass, but skiving off and snapping at your teachers – no matter how much they deserve it – " she added before Cassie could break in – "is definitely not the way to go."

Cassie sat, still wrapped in her sheets, trying to come up with an argument to that, but she couldn't, knowing that Marlene was right.

"Break's over in fifteen minutes," the blonde girl said. "I'll meet you down in the common room."

Cassie sat on her bed for another minute after Marlene left, trying to get over the dread that was settled firmly in her stomach. Even just thinking about Professor Carlisle made her tense, and she couldn't help remembering her outburst last class that had cost her twenty-five points – on the second day of lessons, no less. It couldn't have been avoided, though. Just the way she had talked about her brother, like he was a particularly nasty slug she had stepped on, had been enough. And while it didn't help her anonymity in the slightest, she couldn't stop herself from feeling some satisfaction over the encounter, especially when she had felt those frosty eyes bore into her back every time she sat down to eat in the Great Hall.

Summoning enough courage to leave her bed, Cassie stood and walked to the washroom, straightening her robes as she went. She hadn't bothered to take them off when break had started and she had decided to take a nap (Lily didn't have a break this block, thankfully, or else Cassie would never have heard the end of it), so all she had to do was brush out her bedhead and be on her way.

She ran a brush through her long hair, tucking it behind her ears when it had returned to its usual flat style, and once again found herself wishing she either had Marlene's blonde curls or Lily's wavy, fiery red locks. Anything besides the brown curtain that hung past her shoulders no matter what she or her mother did to attempt another style.

Shrugging off her daily hair lamentation, she crossed back to her bed and gathered her books before shoving them into her bag, throwing it over her shoulder as she descended the winding staircase into the common room.

She found Marlene sitting in a chair near the corner closest to the portrait hole and plopped down next to her, figuring they had about another five minutes before they needed to leave.

"What was that stuff your mum sent you last year for the Halloween feast?" Cassie asked, twirling a loose strand of hair and pouting when it still fell straight. "That really expensive hair gel that made anything hold?"

Cassie waited, playing with her hair, but looked up when Marlene didn't answer.

"Hello, Earth to Mars," Cassie said, grinning at her pun as she waved a hand in front of Marlene's blank eyes. "I'm talking to you."

"Sorry, Cass," she said, blinking and refocusing on the other girl. "Hair gel? It might've been Victoire's Voluminous Vial, or something like it."

"Okay," she said, making a mental note of the name so she could write her own mum to buy her some. "What were you staring at?"

"Nothing important," she replied airily, standing up and grabbing her bag, though Cassie noticed her eyes still fixed on something across the common room.

Cassie stood, as well, craning her neck to see what Marlene was staring at, but only catching sight of the Marauders sitting in chairs by the fireplace before Marlene was pulling her through the portrait hole.

"Wait, was that what I think it was?" Cassie said, grinning mischievously when the other girl walked resolutely forward, not looking at her. "That _totally_ was."

"I don't know what you're on about," Marlene said neutrally, but Cassie could see the pink creeping into her cheeks as she cackled.

"You fancy one of them, don't you?" she said, poking Marlene's arm and getting a good laugh out of her friend's clear discomfort. Suddenly Cassie flashed back to dinner a few nights ago, when Marlene had made a comment about not minding if Black was staring at her. "It's _Black,_ isn't it?"

"No!" Marlene said, shaking her head quickly as her face flushed red. "He's attractive, I'll admit, but I would _never_ like that git!"

"But you'd still snog him, right?" Cassie asked, laughing even harder when Marlene made a startled noise in her throat.

"I – no – I mean –" She stopped spluttering when Cassie put a hand on her arm, still grinning wickedly but looking around to make sure no one was listening.

"Hey, no big deal," she said. "I just think it's kind of cute, in a very disgusting and bewildering way."

Marlene shook her head. "It's not cute," she moaned. "It's a disaster! Of all the hottest boys in school, why does it have to be the most pretentious arsehole of the lot?"

Cassie shrugged. "Merlin likes to see us girls suffer, I guess."

Marlene snorted, rolling her eyes. "No kidding."

They walked the rest of the way talking about Mary MacDonald's new haircut and this year's prospects for the Quidditch team, as Marlene's younger brother was a Chaser for their House team, Cassie being very aware of the building dread in her stomach the whole time as they approached the Defense classroom.

The two girls walked in, still chatting, and Marlene squeezed Cassie's arm as she went to her seat, which had been unfairly put in the back next to a bunch of Slytherins as Cassie steeled herself and walked to her own desk.

Her path took her directly in front of the teacher's desk, where Professor Carlisle was sitting scribbling on a piece of parchment, but the icy witch looked up as Cassie was passing, fixing her with a piercing glare as Cassie gulped and slunk into her seat, refusing to meet her eyes.

She only looked up when she heard her quill go back to scratching on the parchment, and she breathed out a sigh of relief when the bell rang and the stragglers trickled into the classroom, including the Marauders, as she saw Lupin taking his seat next to her.

"Take out your books and turn to page twenty-three," Professor Carlisle said, without looking up from her parchment, and there was a rustling of bags as the students pulled out their books, _The Essential Defense Against the Dark Arts_ by Arsenius Jigger.

The class complied with Professor Carlisle's order and opened their books to page twenty-three, and Cassie's brow furrowed when all she saw was a chapter on how to stop hags from eating small children.

"Read the chapter, and then list and explain to me the ways one can banish a hag on a foot of parchment, to be handed in at the end of class," Professor Carlisle said, again not looking up from her own parchment as the class mumbled. "And anyone who decides to slack off on this assignment will earn a night's detention with me, so I suggest you get to work."

There was another flurry of movement as everyone pulled out quills and parchment, but the room went still again as Professor Carlisle spoke up once more.

"Also, you may work with other people on this assignment," she said, and excited murmuring began to ripple before it was immediately shut down. "However, you may only work with the people in your assigned row."

Cassie's heart sank, turning away from the crestfallen expressions of Lily, Marlene, and Alice and looking at Lupin and Avery, both of whom were not paying any attention to her, and she huffed in annoyance as she glared at Professor Carlisle's pale forehead.

"You may begin," she drawled, still writing furiously, and Cassie sighed, settling herself in to read an undoubtedly boring chapter before she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She looked to her left and saw Lupin facing her, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to work on this with me," he said quietly, gesturing to the chapter as she stared. "I'm afraid I'll fall asleep reading this thing, and it would be a bad example as a Prefect if I were to get a detention."

He gave her a lopsided grin, his green eyes earnest, but not like Potter's had been when he had asked her for a quill. It sounded like he genuinely wanted to work with her, and Cassie cursed herself for being so suspicious, but the thought that this was just another prank had planted a seed of doubt in her brain.

"All right," she hedged, scooting her desk closer but eyeing him warily. "I'll work with you, so long as you don't light my scroll on fire."

He chuckled, closing the distance with his own desk in one easy move, though he kept a respectable distance from her, she noticed.

"No fires from me, I swear it," he said. "That's James' thing, not mine."

Cassie scowled at the mention of James Potter, something Lupin did not miss.

"He didn't pull that quill stunt to get you in trouble, Cassie," he said, and she started at the use of her name. "I'll admit, James can be a git when it comes to pranking people, but he just wanted a laugh, that was all."

"Yeah, well, he didn't have to use _my_ quill," she said, her face feeling hot again when she recalled her embarrassment. "And, no offense, but he's pretty much always been a git."

Lupin shrugged. "Fair point," he agreed. "But still, I'm sorry that you feel like you were the brunt of that, because I assure you, he didn't mean it to come across that way."

Cassie blinked, startled by his apology. She knew it was not the Marauders' nature to apologize about anything, but this was clearly an unexpected turn of events. True, it was not Potter himself making the apology, but one of his best friends offering was better than nothing.

"Er, thank you," Cassie said, suddenly feeling very awkward, and she pulled her book closer to her as she tapped on the page. "We should probably start reading now, though. I'd rather not get a detention with _her."_

She nodded at Professor Carlisle, keeping her voice down all the same as they were sitting so close to her, and Lupin raised a brow.

"I'd noticed you weren't too keen on her," he said, and Cassie's face flushed again as he referred to her reaction the last class. "That was cruel on her part, though. There are some things we just can't help, and family is one of them."

He didn't exactly look at her as he said this last part, but Cassie nodded appreciatively, eyeing the sandy-haired boy with a new regard; perhaps he wasn't as big a prat as his friends, as she had been led to believe the past five years.

"Yeah," she muttered, clearing her throat and nodding back to their books before she could have another revelation about the Prefect Remus Lupin not being as Marauder-ish at first glance. "You take half and I take the other?"

He nodded, propping his arm under his book to read. "Sounds fair."

Cassie began to read, the words already making no sense as her mind seemed to flood with thoughts of their random exchange. She had never associated with Remus Lupin before, and with this being her first time…well, she was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. How long his kind, sensible act would last, though, was another matter entirely, and that alone was enough to shake those thoughts from her head and continue reading.

The dread that had been built up in Cassie's stomach the whole day was finally starting to dissipate as the class wore on, the two hours ticking by with surprising speed as her and Lupin worked together, Professor Carlisle still sitting at her desk and not bothering with any of her students. This did not go unnoticed by her classmates, who had decided to take advantage of her inattention and were now gossiping or flicking pieces of parchment at each other from across the room, Potter and Black of course being the instigators despite their distance from one another.

Cassie and Lupin were just finishing up their list of ways to repel hags when a piece of paper hit the boy on the back of the head. Lupin didn't look annoyed, more resigned than anything as he picked up the paper with a furtive glance at Professor Carlisle, though she was now too busy reading whatever she had wrote to see.

Cassie glanced sidelong at the paper when Lupin was holding it, reading a hastily scrawled 'Moony' before he opened the folded parchment to reveal a circle, and the words 'two days' written beneath it. There were more words, but Cassie didn't get a chance to see them as Lupin sighed and shoved it into his pocket, turning around to mouth something at Potter, who must have been the author of the note.

Figuring the note was some sort of code the Marauders had devised, Cassie squashed down her curiosity and started to work on her parchment with an hour left in class, more than enough time to write a thoroughly detailed scroll.

She had only written a sentence when she felt another tap on her shoulder, though this time it was coming from her right, and she looked up, frowning, to see Avery pointing to her scroll.

"Do you mind if I look at your notes?" he asked, his voice soft and cultured, very different from how Cassie imagined the Slytherin's voice to sound. "I think I got everything, but I just wanted to be sure."

"Er, go ahead," she said, handing over the scratch paper she and Lupin had scrawled on as the latter was still turned around, talking silently to his friends.

"Thank you," he said, inclining his head to her as he looked over the parchment, nodding as he compared the notes.

Cassie waited, squirming slightly in her seat, unnerved by what was going on. She was used to being glanced over or scrutinized, but now here she was, partnered with a Marauder and being asked for help by a Slytherin. It was truly odd, and she was so intent upon wondering what was happening that she didn't even notice the paper that had been held out for her expectantly until Avery cleared his throat.

"Oh, sorry," she said, hastily snatching the paper back and refusing to let her face flush, even though it was useless and she could feel the heat in her cheeks, anyway.

"Not a problem," the Slytherin boy said, sliding back into his seat and going back to his own scroll, his movements smooth and deft as he wrote with his quill.

Cassie leaned against her desk, elbows resting on top as she watched Avery work. She didn't know much about him, besides his first name and his House and that he was from a pureblood family like her own. He might have been a Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team, but she wasn't entirely sure; Quidditch was not something she participated heavily in, and she had never seen a reason to pay attention to the other Houses teams. But she _had_ heard of him and his little gang of Slytherins, who lurked around the school and hexed various students who had crossed them, most of them being Muggleborns.

This reminder was enough to put her off the newfound curiosity that had sprung up when Avery had spoken to her, and she went back to her work dutifully, determined to finish by the end of class.

When the bell rang, Cassie stood from her seat and approached Professor Carlisle's desk with only some trepidation, her pride at having finished a foot of parchment in little more than an hour outweighing the dread of having to be so close to the witch. She heard Lupin following behind her, his parchment still glistening with the ink of his last three sentences, which he had finished in the nick of time, considering the rather lengthy silent conversation he had had with Potter.

Professor Carlisle did not look up when Cassie handed in her work, but she saw the witch's lips purse when she read her name at the top. While she perused Cassie's essay, she let her eyes wander, and found them drawn towards the parchment Professor Carlisle had been working on all class.

Most of it was words, written in elegant green letters, but there were several drawings, as well, and Cassie tilted her head to look at them better despite the little voice telling her it was none of her business.

The drawings turned out to be a diagram, from what she could tell, though it was impossible to decipher due to the many squiggly lines and scratched out portions. It looked like it could be a map, but before Cassie could study it further, Professor Carlisle had placed her essay on top of it, giving her a dismissive wave with her hand.

"Next class your grades will be handed back to you," she said to the class at large, finally looking over them all with her steely gaze. "I will assess them as an O.W.L proctor would, so I do hope for your sakes that this is some of your best work."

Many nervous glances were traded at this, and Cassie saw Lily looking absolutely appalled as she waited in line to turn in her essay.

Professor Carlisle's eyes slipped back to Cassie, and she automatically tensed when the witch raised a pale brow at her.

"If there is something you would like to say, Miss Alderfair, then do so quickly," she said flatly. "You are holding up the line."

Cassie felt her face dip into a scowl as eyes turned on her, her classmates' curiosity and anticipation for another incident like last time making her skin itch as she backed away from Professor Carlisle's desk.

"No," she said, making her voice as hard as hers. "I have nothing else to say, _Professor_."

Professor Carlisle narrowed her eyes, the grey irises glittering out at her, but she turned away when Lupin handed her his essay, and Cassie was left to gather her things in peace.

Her skin was still prickling when she exited the classroom a few minutes later, and she scratched at it unconsciously, wondering why being anywhere near the professor made her so uncomfortable. It had to have been because of her snide remark about her brother, but that didn't explain the time she had met her eyes in the Great Hall and felt as if she had been dunked into ice water.

Shaking off the discomfort, Cassie walked down to the Great Hall for dinner, soon being joined by Lily, Marlene, and Alice. She had survived her first week back at school, and by Merlin was she going to enjoy sleeping this weekend.

* * *

 **Please review! Anything you liked, disliked, are looking forward to? Let me know!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Midnight Marauders_**

 **xx**


	5. The Midnight Marauders

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Another chapter!**

 **Thanks for the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, wickedgrl123, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Five: The Midnight Marauders

"I'll give you two Galleons if you strip naked and jump into the lake."

James looked over at Sirius, his eyebrows rising as he ruffled up his already wild hair, the other boy just grinning at him with a mischievous glint in his grey eyes.

"Make it five and you have yourself a deal," James said, waiting as Sirius cocked his head, clearly deliberating his offer.

Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Remus just murmured, "Don't even think about it, you two."

Sirius looked to his sandy-haired friend, pouting, as he whined, "But _Remus…"_

The other boy just shook his head, his eyes never once leaving the book he was currently reading, and Sirius huffed.

"C'mon, Moony, it'll be brilliant," James said, already tugging at his tie, and Peter nodded enthusiastically, watching the three with shining eyes. "And I know you'd give anything to see me in my skivvies."

He gave Remus a roguish wink as Sirius laughed, and their sensible friend finally looked up from his reading, his green eyes narrowed.

"I'd rather see a naked house-elf dancing in front of me than witness anything you have to offer, Prongs," he said coolly, and James pressed a hand over his heart as Peter giggled.

"You wound me, Remus!" he cried, falling back on the grass and giving a mock-writhe of pain. "Oh, how will I ever go on after this devastating blow, delivered by my best mate, no less?"

"Shut it, James," Remus said, though a smile twitched at his lips all the same. "You're being too dramatic; the fourth years are staring again."

James sat up and looked in the direction indicated by his friend, seeing a gaggle of fourth-year Hufflepuff girls casting surreptitious glances at the boys sitting beneath the beech tree near the lake, and they immediately squealed and started whispering when James gave them a jaunty wave.

"Careful, Prongs," Sirius snorted. "Soon you'll have a fan club if you keep that up."

James shrugged, wholly unruffled as he messed with his hair again.

"I wouldn't mind a fan club," he said thoughtfully, before turning to Sirius with a suggestive grin. "As long as _you're_ my number one fan, Pads."

Sirius batted his eyelashes, pretending to swoon. "I thought you'd never ask, darling."

They both leaned in, making as if to snog, before Remus' exasperated yet clearly amused voice broke them apart.

"Oi, get a room!" he said. "Some of us are trying to concentrate here."

"It's the weekend, Moony," James moaned, flopping back on the grass and putting an arm behind his head. "What are you possibly trying to concentrate on?"

"Slughorn mentioned something about starting a lesson on Sleeping Potions next class, and seeing as I'm going to be out of commission…" He trailed off, and the boys all exchanged a look at the unspoken bit. Monday was the full moon, which meant it was time for Remus' "furry little problem," as James put it.

"Don't worry, mate, we'll take good notes for you," Sirius said, flicking the cover of Remus' Potions book and causing the other boy to roll his eyes.

"The day I let you lot take notes for me is the day Hell freezes over," he said sarcastically.

"I resent that remark," Sirius sniffed. "I work hard for my grades, thank you very much, and you should be grateful that I am offering my services."

"No, you don't," Peter pointed out, and Sirius turned on him, affronted, as the blond boy shrugged his shoulders. "You breeze through lessons like they're nothing, you and James both; it's incredible, really, how you're both so smart, yet you never really do anything."

Remus snorted. "Don't encourage them, Pete."

Sirius looked to the mousy boy, who had gone back to staring out at the lake and pulling tufts of grass out of the ground. "I don't know whether I should be flattered or offended."

"Take it as a compliment," James suggested, "just like everything else."

"Good point," Sirius agreed, letting his eyes wander over the grounds before he saw something that made him punch James' leg. "Oi, Prongs, look who it is."

"Snivellus?" James sat up immediately, adjusting his glasses when they slipped off his nose and looking around eagerly, but Sirius shook his head.

"Better, for you," he said, pointing. "It's Evans."

James sat up even straighter, his lanky form easily peering across the grounds to see a flash of bright red hair that was indeed Lily Evans, walking with Marlene McKinnon as the two went for a stroll around the lake.

James sighed, his eyes following the girl wistfully, and Sirius rolled his eyes at the lovesick expression on his best mate's face.

"D'you think she'll try and hex me if I go talk to her?" he asked, and the three Marauders responded, "Yes," in unison almost instantaneously.

"Alas, another time, then," he sighed. "I'd rather not get hit by a Tickling Curse today."

He took another look around the grounds, mussing up his hair even more, before gesturing with his chin at some point over Sirius' shoulder.

"Hey, there's that girl who snapped at Professor Carlisle the other day," he said, and they all turned to see Cassie Alderfair walking across the grounds with Alice Fortescue, heading for the spot where Evans and McKinnon had sat on the shore.

"She's also the girl I had to apologize to on your behalf after that stunt in History of Magic," Remus said, raising a pointed eyebrow that James waved off.

"It was just a bit of fun, no need for her to get her knickers in a twist," he said, and Remus frowned disapprovingly. "She's a feisty one, though, eh? Calling out Professor Carlisle like that in front of the whole class."

"I thought it was good for her to stand up for her brother like that," Remus said. "A teacher should know better than to discuss things that personal in front of other students."

"Remus John Lupin, riding to the rescue of another damsel in distress," James teased, and Remus scowled. "C'mon, Moony, I saw you two working together yesterday; you looked like you were enjoying it, too."

"Come off it, James," Remus snorted. "I was trying to be nice after _your_ prank."

"D'you reckon her brother really is a Death Eater?" Peter broke in, staring after the dark-haired girl with wide eyes, and James shrugged.

"Dunno," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "He was our Quidditch Captain for two years, and I thought he was a pretty decent bloke – quiet, kind of moody, but still nice enough."

"He is a Death Eater," Sirius suddenly said, also staring hard at the girl as she sat down with her friends, and he felt the others' eyes all turn to him.

"How do you know?" Peter asked breathlessly, and Sirius scowled.

"My family had her parents over for dinner sometime this summer," he said. "I was trying to sneak some food up to my room to avoid them all, but I heard them talking about it: You-Know-Who, pureblood ideology, all that rubbish. They were practically boasting about their son's contributions to 'the cause.'"

They all exchanged a dark look at this, before turning to stare at Cassie Alderfair, who was now wading along the shore of the lake as the other girls stripped off their shoes and rolled their pants to join her in the shallow water.

"What about her?" Peter whispered, and they didn't need his pointing finger to know who he was talking about. "Is she one of them?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Wormtail," Remus said, his voice uncharacteristically harsh, and they all turned to him with raised brows as Peter flushed. "She's too young; why would You-Know-Who want a fifteen year old Death Eater?"

"Right," Peter said, nodding meekly. "That would be stupid."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, before it was broken by James.

"Anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "We should start preparing for Monday…"

Sirius tuned out their change in discussion, his eyes still focused on the girl in the lake. He flashed back to that morning on the train, when he had helped her load her luggage into a compartment. He hadn't even realized who she was until she had pointed out that they were in the same year, and the same House, and he had suddenly remembered her from the year before, after the rumor about her brother had taken hold of the student body like a wildfire.

In the past few years, it was not unusual for a graduate of Hogwarts to go off and work to spread the pureblood ideology that was slowly coming to the forefront of the Wizarding community again. William Alderfair must have been a right shock, however, as he thought back to Professor Carlisle's description of him: a Gryffindor, Head Boy, and Quidditch Captain, along with being one of the top students? It was wrong of him, but he had to agree with the professor; he had given up everything to follow the beliefs of a madman that his own family supported, and the thought disgusted him.

He looked back to Cassie and found himself watching her splash water at her friends, her long hair flying and her face split into a wide smile, and he suddenly had trouble believing that she could end up as rotten as her brother. But then again, he could be wrong.

Tearing his eyes away from Cassie Alderfair's smile, he rejoined the Marauders' conversation and tried to push all thoughts of mysterious girls and Death Eaters from his mind.

* * *

Monday morning dawned overcast and chilly, and Cassie made her way down to the Great Hall for breakfast, her arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to stave off the draftiness of the castle. Fortunately, the Great Hall beckoned her with its warmth, and she entered gratefully, dropping her hands back to her sides as she took her customary seat with Alice, Lily, and Marlene.

"G'morning, Cassie," Lily said, taking a careful sip from her tea as she skimmed through the pages of that morning's _Daily Prophet._

"Morning," Cassie said, already too focused on filling her plate with eggs and bacon to offer more than a short greeting.

"Anything interesting going on?" Alice asked, gesturing to the newspaper, and Lily frowned.

"Nothing, really," she said, before pausing and tapping on an article crammed at the bottom of the third page. "Wait, here's something…"

She scanned the article quickly while the other girls waited, before she finally sighed and lifted her head.

"There's been another attack on a Muggleborn family," she said, and Cassie saw her eyes flicker over to her for a brief second as she stopped chewing, her throat growing tight. "They don't know who did it, but they suspect Death Eaters are behind it."

Cassie swallowed with difficulty, keeping her head down as she saw her friends look to her concernedly. They had been exceedingly careful about keeping away from the topic of Death Eaters whenever they were in her presence, and had never once questioned her loyalty or her friendship, but somehow, this walking-on-eggshells business around her grated on her nerves.

"Why would something like that be on the third page, though?" Marlene asked, shaking her head. "Something like this needs to be on the front, to at least caution other Muggleborn families to be on their guard."

"Because the Ministry doesn't want to scare everyone," Cassie said bitterly, taking a sharp stab at her eggs. "They want to pretend like everything is fine, and they have it under control, when they don't. The attacks are going to keep happening, more frequently, and they're going to be running around like chickens with their heads cut off while You-Know-Who keeps getting more and more powerful."

Silence met her dark prediction, and she glanced up to see the three girls looking at her with varying expressions of worry and discomfort.

Cassie sighed, shaking her head, her sudden vehemence retreating as quickly as it had come. "Never mind, forget I said that," she said. "I didn't mean to get so carried away."

Alice put a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling gently. "It's fine, Cass," she said. "I think it's good that you're not trying to sweep this under the rug, like my family is doing."

Marlene nodded in agreement, and Lily looked at her with sympathetic emerald eyes.

"It's okay to talk about this stuff, Cassie," she said softly, so they were the only ones to hear her. "We're here for you, no matter what."

Cassie gave them a tiny smile, suddenly feeling a rush of emotion as she said, "Thank you. Really. That…actually means a lot to me."

They all smiled and nodded encouragingly, but the moment was interrupted when a voice from behind her said, "Er, Cassiopeia Alderfair?"

Cassie turned, seeing a brown-haired boy who looked like a second year standing behind her nervously, holding out a roll of parchment to her.

"Oh, thanks," she said, and the boy nodded before scurrying off, the tips of his ears red as she looked down at the sealed roll, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

"What is it?" Alice asked, and Cassie shrugged, unrolling the parchment and immediately letting out a groan.

"Detention with Binns, eight o'clock," she said, letting the parchment fall to the table as she buried her head in her arms. "My parents are going to kill me!"

"No, they won't," Lily said firmly. "They're not going to write your parents over something as minor as a quill being thrown."

"They always know," Cassie moaned, her thoughts flipping through all the possibilities of what her parents might do if they found out about her first detention. "I'm a dead woman walking."

"Nonsense," Lily chastised. "Just do the detention, and make sure it never happens again. You'll be fine."

Cassie answered in lieu of a groan, and kept her head down until Alice informed her that classes were starting in ten minutes and that she couldn't stay there all morning.

Conceding this point, Cassie stood up and departed the Great Hall with her three friends, oblivious to the curious and borderline suspicious looks she was receiving from the Marauders.

* * *

Later that night, Cassie bid goodbye to her friends and exited their dormitory, heading off to her very first detention she had ever received at Hogwarts.

Despite knowing the general punishments one had to do in detention, she still felt very nervous as she descended the winding staircase and entered the common room, where students were returning from a late dinner or chatting idly by the fireplace.

She passed a group of sixth-year boys playing a very loud game of Exploding Snap, but paused on her way to the portrait hole when she heard someone call her name.

Turning around, she saw Remus Lupin waving to her, and she frowned, looking over her shoulder to see if she was mistaken, and he was in fact acknowledging someone else. But no, it had to be her, as there was no one else behind her, and she made her way cautiously over to him, where he was sitting amongst the other three Marauders in a secluded corner.

"Hullo, Cassie," he said politely, giving her a smile that looked quite forced, though upon closer inspection, she saw that he appeared to might be ill, his skin pale and his eyes shadowed with dark circles.

"Er, hello…Remus," she said, testing out his first name on her tongue and finding it very strange. She kept her eyes focused on only him, refusing to look at any of the other Marauders, though she could feel their intense gazes upon her.

"Want to take a seat?" he asked, pulling another armchair closer and scooting over so he could add it to their circle, and Cassie stared, gobsmacked by the sudden invitation. Her immediate thought was that this was a prank; it had to be, right? She had never spoken to any of them before this week, and now here she was, being asked if she wanted to sit with them. (Granted, it was only Remus who had asked her, but still).

"Um, I'd love to, but, er…I'm actually supposed to go meet Binns for a detention soon." She couldn't help glancing over to Potter at this, and she saw him grimace when Remus gave him a pointed look.

"No worries," the sandy-haired boy said coolly, pushing the chair back to its original place as she shuffled her feet awkwardly. "Have fun in detention, then."

His eyes glittered good-naturedly as he said it, and Cassie resisted the urge to turn and flee, instead giving him a slight nod.

"I'm sure Binns will be a hoot, as ever," she said, smiling tightly when he chuckled, and she noticed Pettigrew's mouth twitch as he looked at her, before his watery eyes darted away quickly upon her observation. "But thanks for the offer. Maybe another time?"

Her voice rose at the end, turning the statement into a question, and she cringed at how uncertain she sounded, though if Lupin noticed, he gave no sign of it.

"'Course," he said, giving her another lopsided grin like he had when he asked her to work with him on their hag essay.

Realizing she was standing there like an idiot with nothing else to say, she finally nodded and said, "Right, then. Er…see you later."

"See you, Cassie," he replied, sending her off with a wave as she turned and made for the portrait hole, trying not to walk too quickly.

She clambered out into the corridor, hoisting her bag higher upon her shoulder as she made her way down to Professor Binns' stuffy classroom, her face hot. Her mind was reeling at what had just happened, debating on whether she had hallucinated the whole thing or not.

What had Remus Lupin wanted with _her?_ It was one thing partnering up for a class, but to be invited into the Marauders' inner circle was something else entirely. It was baffling, and the only conclusion that she could come to was that he had definitely been setting her up for a prank, or some other form of humiliation. After all, she was Cassie Alderfair, the Invisible Girl with a Death Eater for a brother. She was nothing to them, just another victim in their arrogant, infantile ways.

Gritting her teeth, she marched the rest of the way to Binns' classroom, vowing to herself that she would never get involved with the Marauders – only if they didn't mess with her first.

* * *

"What the bloody hell was _that,_ Moony?" Sirius hissed, as soon as Cassie Alderfair was out of earshot, and he turned on his friend with an incredulous expression.

"I second that," James said, looking utterly bewildered at what had just happened. "Seriously, what did you call her over here for?"

Remus shrugged, looking wholly unconcerned at his friends' bafflement.

"Well, since you were so keen on talking about her this weekend, I thought she should be able to join in on the discussion," he said, and the other three exchanged a stupefied glance.

"We talked about her _once,"_ James pointed out. "Hardly enough to justify 'getting to know her,' or whatever scheme you had planned."

He suddenly paused, his hazel eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Moony, before a huge grin began spreading across his face, causing the other three to eye their friend warily.

"But that's exactly it, isn't it?" he said, looking as if he had just found a sack full of Galleons lying in the street. "Of course you'd want to get to know her, Moony; you fancy her!"

"What? No!" Remus objected, his face and neck immediately flushing red as James cackled, Peter watching on with a gleeful expression as Sirius just looked annoyed by it all.

"Who knew the day would come so soon!" James crowed, his voice rising so those nearest them were beginning to look over in interest as Remus slid lower in his seat, glaring at James vehemently as he went on. "Our little Moony, growing up and finally seeking out the wonders of love!"

"Shove off, James," he snapped. "I don't fancy her."

"Then why did you ask her to sit with us?" Peter asked eagerly, nearly bouncing in his seat with excitement.

"It's called being a decent and polite person, something you clearly know nothing about," he said hotly, and Sirius broke in before James pushed too far and ended up with a broken nose and a black eye – again.

"Back off, you lot," he said sternly, fixing them with his signature Black-glare that was guaranteed to make them stop acting like gits. He knew the subject of girls was a tricky matter for Remus, and with tonight being the full moon, his agitation would be quicker to ignite than normal, something James and Peter finally seemed to get as their grins faded.

"Right you are, Padfoot," James said seriously. "Sorry about that, Remus."

"Sorry," Peter squeaked, but Remus just waved them off.

"It's fine," he said, rubbing his eyes and suddenly looking very tired. "The common room's starting to clear out, we should get ready soon."

They all nodded, and Peter and James started for their dormitory upstairs, but Sirius put a hand on Remus' shoulder to keep him from following immediately.

"Hey," he said, as Remus turned back to face him, his scars standing out whiter than usual, and Sirius saw the glint of gold in the back of his green eyes that alerted him to the stirring creature inside his friend. "You all right?"

"Yeah, good," he said, looking away awkwardly, and Sirius studied him carefully, hesitating only a little before speaking again.

"This Alderfair girl…" he said slowly, watching Remus' face slip into a scowl, but he held up a hand before he could say anything, only wanting to help his friend. "Do you really fancy her?"

"Look, Pads, she's a nice girl, but I don't really know her at all," he pointed out, shaking his head irritably. "And what with my condition…"

Sirius nodded, patting his shoulder. "I understand," he said. "Don't worry about it, Moony. They're just being prats; they'll start talking about James' love life – or lack thereof – again in no time."

Remus cracked a smile at this, and Sirius pulled his friend close as they headed up the stairs together, the dark-haired boy already itching to get this night started.

* * *

Cassie thought detention would never end.

It was only supposed to be two hours of her copying lines, but from the way her eyes were blurring and her hand was cramping from writing so much, it felt like she had been in there for eternity.

 _Maybe this is how Binns feels all the time,_ she thought irritably, as her fingers twitched painfully along her quill. _Trapped in this one classroom, doomed to put up with students for the rest of his immortal life…I'd be bitter, too, if I got stuck with this job forever._

When the clock hands signaled that it was ten o'clock, Binns finally looked up from grading a stack of papers and waved her over to his desk. Her hand muscles weeping in relief, she stood up and walked over to him, handing over a foot and a half of parchment that read _I will not throw things in the classroom like I am a Neanderthal_ nearly a hundred times over.

He read over the lines silently, before nodding his ghostly head once and setting it aside.

"I hope you have learned your lesson thoroughly, Miss Angford?" he said in his monotone, and Cassie nodded quickly, anxious to leave and get started on the homework she still had to do to ensure she got some sleep that night.

"You may leave, then," he said, his expression as melancholy as ever, and Cassie thanked him before bidding him goodnight and practically bolting out of the classroom.

She made her way back to Gryffindor Tower quickly, keeping her eyes and ears out for the heinous caretaker, Filch, and his demon-spawned cat, Mrs. Norris. She figured she probably wouldn't be in too much trouble if she was caught outside of her common room, considering she actually had a valid reason to be out, but she wanted to avoid a confrontation with the despicable man and his unnatural cat, all the same.

She came to a stop before the portrait of the Fat Lady, who started out of a doze when she heard Cassie approach.

"What are you doing out so late, dear?" she uttered sleepily.

"Detention," Cassie said, grimacing, and the Fat Lady nodded understandingly. "Password?"

"Doxie," she said, and the Fat Lady nodded again, yawning.

"Nasty little things," she said, as the portrait swung open. "Tried to eat my frame once."

Cassie chose not to comment, climbing in through the hole and emerging back into the Gryffindor common room, where she promptly dumped out her bag on the nearest desk and sat down, sighing at the amount of homework she had.

Picking her star chart for Astronomy out of the mess of papers she had, she started filling it out, her eyelids drooping the longer she worked. The fire was still going, casting an orange glow on her paper as she scribbled the names of stars and what constellations they belonged to, and the warmth was lulling her into a state of contentment as her eyes drifted shut…

She jerked awake to the sound of whispering voices, her cheek pressed firmly into her star chart and her mouth hanging open, and for a moment she thought she had dreamed the voices, until they sounded again, coming from the staircases that led up to the dormitories.

She sat up, ripping the star chart from her face when it stuck, and she rubbed at her skin, yawning as she looked around the common room.

The fire was little more than glowing embers at this point, and shadows played across the walls from the bright moonlight streaming in through the high windows of the tower. Cassie stayed seated, not really wanting to have an awkward encounter with some couple sneaking out of their dormitories to snog in the moonlight, and so remained where she was, hidden in the shadows as the voices came closer.

"Wormtail, hurry up!" One of them said, and Cassie's brows furrowed, knowing she had heard that voice somewhere before…

"Coming!" A high, breathy tone responded, and her eyes widened when she recognized the adoring voice of Peter Pettigrew as rapid footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase of the boys' dormitories, which meant that the other voice was _definitely_ Potter's.

Cassie peeked her head around the corner, seeing the bespectacled boy standing at the foot of the stairs impatiently with Sirius Black, who leaned against the wall with a bored expression, though she could tell he was waiting as much as Potter was, if his tapping foot was anything to go by.

Pettigrew padded down the stairs then, and Potter jerked his head toward the portrait hole.

"C'mon, then," he said. "Moony's waiting for us."

Cassie watched the three of them disappear into the portrait hole, utterly confused by what she had just witnessed as she was once again left alone in the dim light of the common room.

Glancing at the clock resting on a table nearby, she saw that it was just before midnight, and she frowned, wondering what the Marauders were doing, and why Remus wasn't with them. Then she remembered the note Potter had thrown at him that one day in Defense, and the word 'Moony' scrawled across the front, and his reference just now: "Moony's waiting for us." Maybe Moony was some sort of stupid nickname they had made up for him. She didn't understand why it was 'Moony' of all things, though. And what had Potter called Pettigrew? Wormtail?

Cassie shook her head; nothing was making sense. This had to be a dream, or some sort of half-conscious delusion, but she wasn't too keen on finding out which it was, either.

Yawning widely, she packed away her things slowly, vowing to finish her star chart at breakfast in the morning before taking her bag and hauling herself up the stairs to her dormitory.

She pulled off her robes and changed into a set of nightclothes, being careful not to disturb her sleeping friends as she climbed into her bed. She looked out the window next to her four-poster before settling in for the night, and through the shifting clouds, she could see a very bright full moon illuminating the night sky.

In fact, if she had shifted her head only a few more inches to the left that night, she might have seen three shadowy figures steal their way across the grounds, disappearing under the cover of a cloud hiding away the moon as she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

 **Please review! Even the smallest of words gives me encouragement!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Meaning of Names_**

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	6. The Meaning of Names

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **The luxury of three day weekends and having too much free time to write *content sigh***

 **Thank you to all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: wickedgrl123, lmoon6127, dreadedlocket, 9632mp, ChizomenoHime, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Six: The Meaning of Names

September slipped into October faster than anyone could truly notice. The mornings became frostier, the temperature cooler, and the trees lining the grounds and bordering the Forbidden Forest burst into an array of sunset-colored leaves before their branches became skinny and bare in preparation of winter.

Autumn was in full swing, and soon, the first snowfall would come, which led to many students taking advantage of the fading good weather and spending the majority of their free time out on the grounds. Those in fifth year and up could not join them, however, as the O.W.L and N.E.W.T workloads kept piling on, which was leading to an early on-set of colds and other stress-induced illnesses amongst the older students, and a sense of enmity towards the younger ones.

"Look at them," Cassie said bitterly, staring out a window of Gryffindor Tower that looked out at the lake and scowling at the first years she could see chasing each other around and making random objects float as they practiced their magic. "Having fun, oblivious to the anxieties of being old, living carefree lives. It sickens me."

She was currently on her second hour of homework, two rolls of parchment laid out before her for Transfiguration alone, not even counting the extra two she would have to write for Potions and Herbology. The stress of classes and homework was finally starting to catch up with her, so much so that she had almost made a second-year girl cry earlier when she had been talking too loud in the common room and Cassie had snapped. (After a harsh admonishing from Alice, however, Cassie had been forced to track down the girl and apologize, and though she had looked frightened at the older girl's very presence, she had accepted her apology nervously before scurrying away).

"Then close the curtains and stop looking," Marlene retorted, her voice thick and nasally from the sinus infection that had attacked her yesterday, though after a trip to the hospital wing and some Pepper-Up Potion, she was back to good health, though her attitude could use some work, in Cassie's opinion.

"I will do no such thing," she sniffed disdainfully. "I will watch them prance around with no responsibilities to remind myself of my suffering and the obscene amount of homework I still have to do before bed."

There was a dull _thunk_ on the table across from her, and she and Marlene turned to see Alice with her head down, her deep breathing indicating that she was fast asleep.

"Me too, Al," Cassie sighed, dropping her quill and stretching out her fingers as Marlene poked Alice's cheek to no avail.

"Yeah, she's out," she confirmed, and Cassie snorted, wishing sleep would come that easily to her, yet all of her dreams as of late ended with her jolting awake in a cold sweat as Professor McGonagall's voice echoed in her head that she was too stupid to attend school any longer and mocking her for not doing her homework. That alone was enough to put her off from sleep for the past week.

"Where's Lily?" she asked, shoving her Transfiguration homework out of the way to make way for her Potions, not realizing she had pushed it on to Marlene's own homework as the blonde girl shrugged and in turn placed it on top of Alice's head.

"Dunno. Probably having a mental breakdown in the bathroom again," she replied, and Cassie rolled her eyes in exasperation. If she thought _she_ was stressed, it was nothing compared to Lily; the girl had become the walking definition of anxiety. Anyone who spoke more than a sentence to her was liable to be yelled at, and crying hysterically had become a sort of hobby for her, which frightened Cassie immensely; if this was Lily now, she didn't want to be anywhere near her by the time the actual exams came around. She would likely end up the victim of a brutal murder if she even cracked a joke.

"Blimey, I'm hungry," Cassie moaned, reaching across the table to take a look at Alice's watch to see how long they had until dinner, and Marlene nodded distractedly, hastily taking out a tissue from her pocket to blow her nose loudly.

Cassie turned Alice's wrist to face her, studying the hands of the watch as the sleeping girl sighed, muttering something about Mandrakes before falling silent again.

"Excellent, five minutes to," she said, just as her stomach gave a sharp pang. "Let's head down; I heard there was black pudding tonight."

"Can't," Marlene said, sniffling. "I have to finish this scroll for Professor Babbling or she'll have my head."

Cassie shrugged, before reaching over and slapping Alice's hand.

The brunette jerked awake and sat up quickly, causing Cassie's Transfiguration homework to shower to the floor as Alice made a high-pitched noise of surprise.

"Oi, that's my Transfiguration homework!" she said, pointing to Alice, and the other girl looked down in confusion before picking up the parchment and returning it to her.

"What was it doing on my head?" she asked when Cassie snatched it back, shoving it into her bag as she stood up.

"Never mind that," she said. "Dinner awaits us, my dear Alice."

Alice yawned widely, before slumping in her seat and closing her eyes.

"You go," she said, waving a lazy hand. "I'm too tired."

Cassie looked back and forth between the two, affronted.

"Betrayed by my own friends," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Don't think I will forget this injustice so easily, ladies."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "Cassie, go eat something before I get the urge to throw this inkpot at you."

"Ungrateful and terrible, the lot of you," she retorted, before turning and tossing her hair in a melodramatic fashion. "I hope you have a horrible time without me here."

They didn't reply, which made Cassie huff in annoyance as she climbed out of the portrait hole and set off for the Great Hall. She loved her friends, she really did, but sometimes they could never truly appreciate her humor.

 _Their loss,_ she thought haughtily, traipsing down the marble staircase just as a group of Slytherins emerged from their dungeon common room, heading for the Great Hall such as she was.

She hung back on the stairs a bit, not wanting to awkwardly enter in beside them, especially when she saw who they were.

She only recognized three of them, as they were in her own year: Severus Snape, Kanin Mulciber, and, of course, Edmund Avery. They were with three other boys, two of them looking like older students, sixth or seventh-years maybe, and the last one younger. Cassie felt her eyes hesitate on the younger boy, feeling as if she recognized him, but snapped her gaze away quickly when she saw Avery turn his head in her direction.

He made eye contact with her briefly, giving her a small nod of acknowledgement that she returned with a jerky wave, her surprise clearly overriding any normal bodily movements. He had disappeared into the Great Hall before she could do anything else, however, and she shook her head, frowning before following them in.

With her early arrival came the blessed opportunity for her to sit alone and eat in peace for once, and she sat down in her usual seat enthusiastically, her stomach rumbling. She began to load her plate with food (silently cheering when she saw that there was, indeed, black pudding), and was about to take a disgustingly large bite when the Marauders themselves walked in, heading for the Gryffindor table.

Shoving the spoonful of pudding into her mouth anyway, she watched them approach, pondering if she should say hello to Remus or not. The past month had become so intense in coursework that she had never taken him up on his offer to sit with him and his friends in the common room, and they had had no partner work in Defense since the first essay, so she hadn't had the opportunity to talk to him, either (though he had let her go on an angry tirade when the essays were handed back, hers marked with a large red 'D' when his was an 'A', despite them both having the same exact information). They occasionally exchanged pleasantries, but that was about the extent of their interactions. That is, until he suddenly spotted her and waved, saying something to his three friends before walking over to her, the others following in his wake much more slowly.

Cassie swallowed the large bite she had taken painfully, and she quickly downed a gulp of pumpkin juice just as Remus arrived, the others in tow. "Mind if we join you?"

She raised an eyebrow at his friendly smile, suddenly wary. "Er, sure. As long as your mates don't mind."

She looked pointedly to the other three Marauders, seeing Pettigrew shifting on his feet nervously while Potter looked agitated and Black just scowled.

"They don't mind," he assured, giving them a glare as if daring one of them to object, and when they didn't, Cassie found herself suddenly very anxious as Remus plopped down next to her, the other three sitting on the bench across from them.

As they began filling their plates, none of them saying anything, Cassie poked half-heartedly at her food, now suddenly not that hungry as she realized that she was eating dinner with the Marauders, of all people.

"So, Cassie, how are you finding O.W.L year?" Remus asked, his eyes glinting, and she smiled nervously.

"Well, I've only thought about pitching myself off the Astronomy Tower twice so far, so I reckon it's not too bad right now," she said, and glanced over when Pettigrew snorted into his stew, his lips twitching in a grin that she felt heartened by, if only a little bit.

Remus nodded, chewing on a piece of beef thoughtfully. "You know, that's not too terrible of an idea, really."

Cassie snorted. "If you ever need someone to push you off in the near future, then you know who to come to."

He chuckled at that, and she took another bite of pudding, halting in her chewing when Black finally spoke up.

"Do you always eat like that?" he asked, eyeing the large bite she had just shoveled into her mouth with mild distaste, and she raised an eyebrow as Remus scowled and Potter jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow.

Swallowing, Cassie stared back into his light grey eyes challengingly, saying, "I don't know. Do you always ask stupid questions?"

Pettigrew truly laughed at this, and Potter disguised a chortle behind a cough, Remus looking highly amused when Black's face turned the faintest hint of pink.

"Never mind," he mumbled, shaking his head and dropping his eyes back down to his plate, and Cassie smirked to herself: Alderfair – 1, Black – 0.

"How's practice going, James?" Remus asked, to smooth over the awkward moment, and Cassie remembered that Potter was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as he gave a noncommittal shrug.

"All right, I guess," he said, suddenly looking disgruntled. "Our new captain, Weatherly – that seventh year bloke who looks like his mother mated with a rock – has no idea what he's doing half the time, and the new Chaser we got can't tell his arse from his head, but we're not terrible. I reckon we'll still beat Hufflepuff in the match next month." He then grinned and clapped Black on the back, saying, "At least we have a solid Beater this year, eh, Pads?"

Black gave a flippant wave of his hand, taking a swig of pumpkin juice as Cassie looked to him interestedly despite his haughtiness.

"You're a Beater? Since when?" Her brother had been on the team since his third year, yet she never heard him mention Black (Potter, on the other hand, she had heard about loads of times; apparently William had not shared her sentiments towards him, and had actually found him a decent bloke, and a brilliant flyer).

"Tried out for the first time this year!" Potter said proudly, looking smug when Black rolled his eyes. "And about bloody time – we were losing hope in gaining another good player, but I convinced him to give it a go."

"Sirius is a great player," Pettigrew chimed in. "All those times we scrimmaged at your house, James, he carried our team single-handedly."

"If you're done drooling over me now," Black said moodily, and Cassie cocked a brow; Black was usually always the center of attention, but right now he looked downright uncomfortable, and she wondered why.

"Oh, but Sirius, can't you see?" Potter said in a high-pitched voice, pretending to swoon. "I'm madly in love with you! I can't stop, no matter what—"

Potter suddenly choked when Black shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes in his mouth, and Cassie laughed at the wide-eyed expression of the bespectacled boy when he swallowed with a large gulp, laughing along with the rest of them.

"You lot are ridiculous," she said, shaking her head, though a grin still tugged at her lips all the same.

"Part of the Marauders' charm, dear," Potter said, winking, though the effect was slightly marred by the potato now smeared on his chin.

Remus cleared his throat. "Er, James," he pointed to his chin, and Potter reached up to wipe the potato residue off his face, making a disgusted noise.

"What's with the name, anyway?" she asked, looking to Remus when he shrugged. "The Marauders?"

"It's a thing we came up with ages ago," he explained. "We didn't start publicly using it until this year, though; I don't even remember who first came up with it."

"It was me," Potter said, at the same time Pettigrew said, "I did."

"Pete, your idea was the Crusaders, but we shot that down faster than you could say 'hippogriff'—"

"Come off it, James, it was _my_ idea—"

"Anyway," Remus said, tuning out the two boys' argument and speaking to Cassie again. "It was something we came up with our first year, and it's just kinda stuck since then."

Cassie nodded thoughtfully. "I tried to come up with a name for me, Marlene, Lily, and Alice before."

"Oh?" Remus looked interested. "What was it?"

"The Raging Whore-mones."

Remus choked on the pumpkin juice he had been drinking, spluttering as he bust out laughing.

"You're bloody _joking,"_ he gasped. "When was this?"

Cassie grimaced. "Last term."

This confession made Remus laugh harder, and she chuckled, as well, seeing Potter and Pettigrew staring between them in confusion, pulled out of their argument, before she glanced to Black. The tiniest of smirks played on his lips, but as soon as he made eye contact with Cassie, he went back to scowling, taking a hearty bite out of his chicken.

The rest of the dinner passed with relative ease, as Cassie began to relax and let herself think that they weren't setting her up for some terrible humiliation as the hall began to fill with more and more students. None of her friends had yet to show, so when the Marauders finished off their plates and prepared to leave, she felt a slight twinge of loneliness, though she wondered if that was just the food digesting in her stomach, instead.

Black, Potter, and Pettigrew left, Remus making to follow after bidding her farewell, but she stopped him when a sudden thought occurred to her. "Remus?"

"Yeah?" He turned back to face her, his brows furrowing when he saw her troubled expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know," she said truthfully. "I…guess I'm just unsure."

"About what?" He was looking at her intensely, and she shifted when he sat back down next to her, those green eyes never leaving her face as she debated whether to tell him her misgivings or not. But in the end, she thought there was no use in denying it, so she continued.

"About…this," she said, gesturing to him and the retreating backs of the other Marauders. "I mean, none of us have ever acknowledged each other before now, and suddenly, we're eating dinner together? I'm not trying to sound snobbish, or anything, but…why are you being so nice to me?"

She bit her lip when he didn't immediately speak, picking at a loose thread on her skirt and cursing herself for being so nosy, for wanting reassurance that this wasn't some awful joke at her expense. She had to believe they had hearts somewhere.

"Look, Cassie…" His tone made her involuntarily flinch, and she felt her heart sink. "I think you're a nice person; I don't know why it's taken me so long to notice, but you're actually really easy to talk to, and you listen, and…that sticks out to me. I'm not used to people doing that for me – listening, and talking to me like I'm an actual person, not just James or Sirius' friend."

He paused, his fingers tapping nervously on his leg while she watched him, feeling some hope rising in her chest again.

"I also know what it's like to be viewed differently, for people to look at you and see something that reflects only what they want to see, even though you're only an indirect part of it." He looked at her again when he said this, and she felt her throat constrict, knowing he was talking about her brother.

"I don't see you like everyone else does, Cassie," he said solemnly. "Maybe it's because of things that I've been through, or maybe because getting to know you has changed my mind, but I'm not trying to befriend you as some sort of cruel joke. It's because I genuinely think you're all right."

He suddenly cleared his throat, looking away awkwardly, and once again, Cassie was stunned by this sandy-haired, green-eyed Marauder. He knew what she was going through; he had been there, or still was, and though she didn't know what it was – he understood. He knew of her family, of her brother, and still, here he was; talking to her, befriending her, treating her like a person, and not the shadow of another one. The gravity of his words finally sunk in, and she suddenly found herself holding back tears, her chest feeling too tight.

"Cassie?" Remus looked to her in concern when she sniffled, and to her mortification, she felt a tear slip out of her eye, followed quickly by many more. "Oh, bloody hell, I'm such a git."

He started fumbling in his robes for a handkerchief, but when he couldn't find one, he just grabbed a napkin off the table and held it out for her. "I'm so sorry, Cassie. I didn't mean to make you cry."

"I'm not crying," she protested weakly, dabbing at her clearly red-rimmed eyes. "I think I'm just coming down with whatever Marlene had…"

Remus gave her a dubious look, and she let out a breathy laugh. "Poor excuse?"

"Just a bit," he said drily, and she gave him a tiny smile before biting her lip.

"Um, sorry," she said, waving her hand to refer to her sudden crying. "I just…no one ever really comes out and says that, you know? I mean, I know the girls are there for me, but…they never talk about these things. They shy away from it, like they're scared I'm going to react terribly to it. But…thank you, Remus. For talking about what it feels like. I…really appreciate it. And I appreciate you, and your mates, no matter how pratty they are, for at least making an effort to see past my brother."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Of course, Cassie. I'm glad I could help."

They sat in silence until she noticed that they were starting to garner attention from the entering Gryffindors, and she nudged his shoulder slightly.

"You should catch up with your friends," she said. "I think I'll be fine now."

He nodded and stood up, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before walking away.

"Oh, and Cassie?" She looked up to see him facing her, and he gave her a wink. "That offer still stands, anytime you need it."

"Maybe one day, Remus," she replied, aware of the scrutinizing eyes upon her, but giving the Marauder a last wave before he left the Great Hall.

Keeping her head down and trying to block out the whispers that were beginning to abound, Cassie reached for a slice of pumpkin pie and continued to eat, feeling truly content for the first time in a long time.

* * *

James, Sirius, and Peter arrived back to a nearly empty common room, as everyone else had gone to dinner save for some very studious seventh-years holed up in a corner, their quills scratching like mad and their expressions haunted as they worked.

The three present Marauders took their usual seats by the fireplace, their eyes occasionally sliding over the place where Remus would normally sit and remaining silent, none of them quite knowing what to make of the dinner they had had with Cassie Alderfair a mere fifteen minutes ago.

"So…" James began, when he couldn't take the silence any longer. "Interesting night, eh?"

Peter grunted in agreement, picking at his nailbeds as he always did when he was thinking, while Sirius said nothing, staring into the crackling flames with a creased brow.

"I didn't think it was all that bad," he prodded, when no one spoke. "Remus was right; she's nice enough, and I like her humor."

"That doesn't mean we can trust her," Sirius muttered, and both James and Peter turned to stare at him.

James frowned, suspecting what the dark-haired boy was thinking and not quite liking it. He knew Sirius had grown up in a pureblood household that was vastly different from his own; the Blacks were practically pureblood royalty, and had belonged exclusively in the elite, egotistical House of Slytherin for generations, until Sirius had been Sorted into Gryffindor unexpectedly. As such, it was no secret that the Black family was also supportive of this anti-Muggle and -Muggleborn fever that was taking hold of the Wizarding world, and James imagined that the presence of this girl – whose own family followed the values of the one Sirius was trying so hard to get away from – did not bode well with the other boy at all.

"We don't know that," James countered, and Sirius scowled.

"Her brother's a Death Eater, James!" he snapped, turning to glare at him with dark grey eyes. "How do we know she isn't like him, that she was raised to become one herself when she came of age?"

"That's a little hypocritical, don't you think?" James asked, raising a brow, and Sirius' face scrunched in confusion. "Huh?"

James rolled his eyes. "You're making judgments on her based off of what her family believes. I thought you of all people could understand that not everyone is like their own flesh and blood, Sirius."

Sirius flushed, though he still looked angry. "I do! But I don't know anything about _her."_

"And you're not going to if you keep skulking around in her presence and refuse to see past your prejudice," James retorted.

Sirius' eyes flashed at this. "If you and Remus want to be her friends, fine by me," he said coldly. "But when she starts strutting around with a Dark Mark and hexing Muggleborns, don't say I didn't warn you."

James opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when the portrait hole opened and Remus walked in, looking tired and worried, but his eyes glinted happily when he saw them.

He sat down next to Peter on the couch, oblivious to the tension in the air, but when he took in Sirius' and James' scowls and Peter's twitchy demeanor, he cottoned on quickly. "What happened with you lot?"

When Sirius said nothing, James leaned back in his armchair and crossed his arms. "Sirius thinks we're fraternizing with the enemy."

Remus sighed, closing his eyes and slumping in his seat, as if he had expected this. "And why does he think that?"

"Because we know nothing about Cassie Alderfair, and he thinks we shouldn't trust her because of her brother," Peter filled him in, still tearing at his nailbeds and refusing to meet the dirty look the black-haired boy shot in his direction.

"Why do you want to be friends with her, anyway?" he questioned Remus. "From what I can tell, she's not even worth the time."

Remus sat up, opening his eyes to reveal a hard green that met Sirius' glare challengingly.

"Because I know what she's going through, all right?" he said harshly, and even Sirius was taken aback by the sudden vehemence in his tone as they all stared at him. "I know how she feels: alone, scared, like nobody understands what she's going through, because I feel the same way!"

He clenched his jaw, shaking his head when they all looked guilty, remembering his condition and what he suffered through every day because of it.

Remus sighed, suddenly looking weary as he spoke in a much softer voice. "I just want her to know that she has allies, should she ever need them. She even told me tonight that the other girls are afraid to discuss it with her, and I know how much that alienates a person. She shouldn't have to be by herself in this."

Silence met his words, and they listened to the logs cracking in the fireplace as the flames flickered shadows and lights across their faces, each one thinking carefully and mulling over what Remus had told them.

"I don't think she's bad," Peter said quietly, still picking at his fingers and shrugging when everyone looked to him. "Anyone who can take down that much pudding and not be sick in one sitting seems all right by me."

Remus snorted at this, but James nodded in agreement.

"If you're all right with her, Moony, then she's fine with me," he said, before suddenly grimacing. "So long as she doesn't try and get back at me for the quill thing."

They all turned expectantly to Sirius, who chewed on the inside of his cheek, deliberating, before finally throwing up his hands.

"All right, I'll give her a chance!" he said. "But if she starts acting like one of those Slytherins…"

"She won't," Remus said firmly, and Sirius just huffed, irritated that he was being outvoted in this matter.

"Then here's to attempts at new friendships," James said, pretending to toast. "Let's just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the arse."

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing from you all!**

 **(Also, I know the title of this chapter must have led to assumptions about the Marauders' nicknames, and that was intended, but I thought this would be a nice place to end this chapter so the nicknames will be next chapter, most likely)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Letter from the Other Side_**

 **xx**


	7. The Letter from the Other Side

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, wickedgrl123, 134ever, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Letter from the Other Side

The Great Hall was buzzing with excitement when Cassie walked in for breakfast, and it was unsurprising as to why. The first Hogsmeade date had been posted on the notice board in all the House common rooms, and it was slated for next weekend, four days before Halloween.

Those in third year and up chatted excitedly about what they were going to do first when they got there, while the second and first-years looked on enviously, Cassie exceptionally grateful that she was no longer one of the younger students as she joined Lily, Alice, and Marlene at the table.

"Morning, ladies!" she chirped as she sat down, scooping about three servings of eggs on to her plate as she hummed to herself genially.

When she got no response, she looked up to find all three girls staring at her with varying degrees of surprise and concern, and she lifted a brow at them. "What? Is it so wrong to be so cheerful this early?"

"Well, when it's _you,_ then yes," Alice said, causing Cassie to frown at the short-haired girl.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so chipper first thing in the morning," Marlene added. "You usually threaten to jinx us if we as much as whisper above a certain level."

Cassie made a face at her. "Then maybe I'm turning over a new leaf."

"Or someone's been making her happier than normal," Lily muttered under her breath, which made Alice and Marlene snicker into their plates as Cassie stared blankly.

"Er, what?" she said, when Lily gave her a knowing look, her green eyes twinkling.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said airily, waving her hand, and Cassie wondered why they were suddenly being so odd.

It was true, she conceded, that she had never been a morning person, but she didn't understand what was making her the object of their amusement. For the past week, she had been waking up feeling refreshed and energized, and for some reason, she knew that it had to do with what Remus told her at dinner a few nights ago. She felt as if some of the huge weight on her chest had been lifted, and this light feeling had been making her more good-natured and bubbly than usual, lending her a new motivation that had even allowed her to catch up on all her homework. She frowned into her goblet, thinking over Lily's words, but was interrupted when there was a sudden rustling noise above them, and she looked to see the morning shower of owls flying into the hall to deliver mail.

Cassie spotted Osbourne amongst them, and she cleared a space next to her elbow so the owl could land, depositing a letter next to her and hooting proudly.

"Hullo, Ozzy," she cooed, feeding him a bit of her toast as he ruffled his brown feathers happily.

He dipped his beak into her orange juice before making a content noise in his throat, giving her hand an affectionate nip before heading back to the Owlery along with the rest of the birds.

Cassie reached for the letter her owl had deposited, but jumped when another bird landed right in front of her, this one a silvery-white that glared at her with sharp yellow eyes before croaking and taking off, leaving another letter in its wake.

Cassie grabbed the letter the strange owl had dropped, frowning when she noticed that it was blank, not having been addressed to anyone. Puzzled, she set it aside for now, turning to the letter her parents (or, more accurately, her mum) had written to her.

 _Dearest Cassie,_

 _I received your last letter asking about Victoire's Voluminous Vial, and I went out immediately and bought you some. The witch working the shop was a dear; she knew me from my magazine, and gave me three bottles for the price of one! I have them here at the estate; please let me know what you want me to do with them. I can send them to you next time Osbourne comes, or I can wait until Christmas when you come home._

 _I am so very happy to hear that fifth year is treating you well. I know it can be tough sometimes, with the O.W.L workload, but I promise it is worth it in the long run. Our top scores are what helped your father and I get very high jobs in our respective fields, and you should strive for the same!_

 _I assure you, darling, Professor Carlisle is a very illustrious witch. She was only a few years behind your father and I in school, but from what I remember, she was very intelligent and came from a good, strong family – in fact, I believe her great-great-great grandfather was Beran Locke, a famous Slytherin who united most of the English pureblood families under one House. A truly ambitious and brilliant man._

Cassie snorted at this, thinking of a few choice names she would rather call Professor Carlisle than 'illustrious' or 'intelligent.'

 _On the note of family, I feel inclined – more desperate, I think – to ask you of news from your brother. It's been two months since we've heard anything from him, and I wanted to know if he had contacted you at all. I am sure he is very busy, but you are both my children, and I would like to be reassured that you still love me every so often!_

 _I love you, darling, and you can expect a package from Osbourne soon containing your birthday present. It's hard for me to believe you are nearly sixteen – how the time flies!_

 _Much love,_

 _Mother_

 _P.S. Your father sends his love, as well, and he hopes you are having another wonderful year!_

Cassie scoffed at this, refolding the letter and sticking it under her plate for now, though her chest felt quite pinched, all the same. The letter was not unusual, as Cassie had been conversing with her mother solely since she started Hogwarts, but the question about her brother had caught her off-guard.

Her mum said he hadn't written in two months, and this was what surprised Cassie the most. She didn't even know her brother had been in contact with her parents since leaving, and a sudden bitterness welled inside of her at the thought. The last time she had spoken to him was the day he left home, and she gripped her fork tightly as she recalled it.

 _She stood at the borders of their estate in North Yorkshire, where her family had congregated to see William off. She hung back behind her parents, eyeing the trunk her brother had rested at his feet as their parents embraced him lovingly, her father looking prouder than she had ever seen him while her mother dabbed at misty eyes._

 _It was strange for her to witness this goodbye; she knew he had been going to leave since they had returned home for the summer, she from Hogwarts and he from traveling abroad on mysterious business he had told no one of, but now that he was actually doing it…she didn't know what to think._

 _Since he had announced his plans to travel south and join the Death Eaters there, Cassie had found herself tiptoeing around him, unsure of what she felt every time she now looked at her brother. Anger? Betrayal? Disgust? Resign? All of it blended together, rendering her helpless in how to deal with her emotions, much less her own brother. She just wished that he would stay, so they could hike through the countryside together, or swim in the lake, or any of the other things they did together during the holiday. Anything but watch him leave her for a cause she had never heard him talk about, not once._

 _Maybe that was why she felt so distant from him now. Because after all this time, she had never truly known her brother – he had been a stranger to her, and that was something that ached in her bones._

 _After being released from yet another hug by their mother, he turned his dark eyes on her, and Cassie felt herself stiffen, her hair whipping across her face as another gust of summer air blew around them, yet she felt colder than ever when William took a step toward her._

 _"Sister…" He said, reaching for her, but Cassie found herself taking a step back, eyeing his outstretched hand as if it were a weapon._

 _She couldn't do it. She couldn't pretend like this was fine, that she was okay with him leaving, because it wasn't. Her brother had fallen from being her closest friend to someone she had never known overnight, and she couldn't bear it. Tears stung at her eyes, and she bit her lip, looking down to her shoes to avoid the crushing disappointment she could see etched in his face._

 _"I love you, Cassie." His voice was so soft it might have been the wind speaking, but still she didn't look up, not even when he had started to walk away._

 _"I'm sorry."_

 _That was surely her imagination speaking, but it made her flinch anyway, keeping her head down until there was a loud CRACK! and he was gone._

 _She only looked up when she heard her parents approach, and the looks on their faces immediately birthed a hot ball of guilt that rested heavily in her gut as she felt a lone tear slip down her cheek._

 _Her mother's face was white, her lips pursed, and she said nothing to her, opting to start back down the stone path to their house, and leaving her alone with her father._

 _Cassie stared into his hard eyes, so brown they looked almost black, and an intense surge of anger rushed through her at the sight of his stern face, set into the look of disapproval he reserved only for her._

 _"How could you let him do it?" She found herself saying, her tone accusing as she stared at her father, her fists clenched tightly. "How could you just let him leave?"_

 _"Your brother is doing the right thing," he said, his voice haughty, cool, unruffled, just like always. "He is volunteering for a noble cause, and we should all be proud."_

 _He enunciated this last part with an edge to his deep voice, and Cassie shook her head, stepping away._

 _"This isn't noble," she said sadly. "Father, you've read the papers – these people are committing_ crimes! _Killing Muggleborns, torturing Muggles, and Merlin knows what else! Their cause is evil."_

 _Her father just stared at her, his features as cold as ever. "I think you've been spending too much time in the muck that Hogwarts has become, Cassiopeia. You almost sound like a blood traitor."_

 _Cassie reeled, feeling as if she had been slapped. Staring into her father's blank eyes, however, she felt her shock and hurt consolidate into anger and disbelief._

 _"You may think me a blood traitor, Father, but I would rather be one of them than someone who goes around killing those you see as lesser," she said hotly._

 _"Be mindful of your words, Cassiopeia," he said, and she involuntarily shivered at the warning laced within his tone. "They can have a great impact on who you choose to be, and how others may view you. And both are not necessarily one in the same."_

 _And with that, he left her standing at the top of the hill where her brother had walked out of her life, and she stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared, letting the tears fall until night had glazed over the sky._

Cassie swallowed hard, determined not to show that anything was wrong, and instead reached for the blank letter the mysterious owl had left her, sliding her finger under the envelope and breaking the seal. She extracted the letter, the parchment thin and cheap on her fingers, and opened it so she could read.

 _Cassie –_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health and sprits (though with it being O.W.L year, my optimism may not help much – might I suggest chamomile tea for the stress? It works wonders)._

 _I regret to say that I have been too busy to contact anyone lately, but with your birthday soon approaching on the 30_ _th_ _, I made enough time to write you a quick greeting, and to beg of you a small request._

 _I know things were not ideal when I left, and I imagine you must still be quite angry, but I heard word of your Hogsmeade trip being scheduled for next weekend, and I ask that you will allow me to see you, if only briefly, so that I may give you your present and birthday wishes._

 _Please send me your answer soon. I really do wish to see you again, sister._

 _Yours,_

 _Will_

Cassie felt as if she had forgotten how to breathe. The longer she stared at the letter, the blurrier the words became, and she could feel her fingers trembling.

Will. William. He had written her. He wanted to see her. Four months without a single word, and suddenly he wanted to meet her in Hogsmeade, to give her a birthday gift.

The rest of the Great Hall faded out, to where it was just her and her brother's letter – her brother, the Death Eater. The traitor of Gryffindor House. The favorite of the Alderfair children. The one who had abandoned her.

Cassie felt very close to screaming, and she might have, if it wasn't for Alice's hand on her elbow.

"Cass?" she was asking worriedly, as Marlene and Lily looked on in concern. "Cassie? Are you all right?"

Sucking in a sharp breath, Cassie gave them a forced smile, nodding. "Yeah. Fine."

Lily leaned forward, her red hair falling across her pinched face, but before she could say anything, Cassie had leapt from her seat, gathering up the letters and shoving them into her bag.

"You know, I'm not feeling too well," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm skiving History of Magic. I'll see you later."

She hurried off before they could reply, her heart fluttering like mad, and she blinked her tears back as she rushed for the doors, not even realizing where she was going until she knocked forcefully into someone's side.

"Oi! Watch where – Cassie?"

She looked up in horror to see that she had run right into the Marauders, and she saw Remus standing before her, rubbing his elbow before peering closely at her. "Cassie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she gasped, mortified when she saw the other three looking at her like she was deranged. Without another word, she pushed past them and practically ran from the Great Hall, and if anyone called after her, she didn't hear them, taking the stairs two at a time until she arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, clutching a stitch in her side and choking on sobs.

"Doxie!" she cried, and the Fat Lady swung forward quickly, allowing Cassie to enter the common room and run to her dormitory, where she threw herself down on her bed and pressed her face into her pillow to muffle her crying.

How _dare_ he? How dare he write her as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn't left her, as if everything was still fine, like it had been before the holiday? How dare he drop off the planet for four months, and then come back and ask her to meet him for something as trivial as _gifts._

 _I hate you,_ Cassie thought as she cried, the day her brother left replaying over and over in her mind and making something hot twist in her heart. _I hate you, I hate you, I hate you._

She wished she had never opened that letter.

* * *

Remus was violently awakened by a pillow slapping him soundly across the face.

"Bloody—" He sat up quickly, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes and finding a smug Sirius standing beside him, the pillow hanging lazily from his hands as he smirked.

"Up and at 'em, Moony," he said, tossing the pillow back on to his four-poster next to Remus', and the sandy-haired boy scowled when he looked out the window and saw that the sky was still dark.

"What could possibly be so important this early?" he grumbled, making no move to get out of bed, and Peter was the one who answered him.

"Marauders meeting," the smaller boy explained, where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor in the middle of their dormitory with James already next to him, looking wide awake and very excited.

Remus rolled his eyes as Sirius went to join them, lounging back on his elbows on James' other side as he patted the open spot next to him, looking pointedly to the other boy.

He reluctantly slid out of bed and took the space next to Sirius, already missing the warmth and comfort of the four-poster as James cleared his throat.

"I hereby call this Marauders meeting in session, to determine this year's first prank!" he said importantly, and Remus held back a groan.

"You lot _do_ realize that I'm a Prefect now?" he said. "I can't afford to get as many detentions as last year, or they'll strip me of my privileges for sure."

"Ah, but you see, dear Remus?" James said, grinning wickedly as he adjusted his glasses. "That's why we have luck on our side this year. No one would _ever_ suspect a Prefect."

Remus cocked a brow. "Even though I've spent the past four years running around with you lot?"

James waved a hand. "Technicalities. Anyway, this year is going to be _our_ year, mates, and we've got to do things bigger and better than we've ever done them before. So, suggestions?"

"Dungbombs in the staff room," Peter said, and James shook his head. "No way, Pete, that's child's play. And we already did that second year, remember?"

Sirius looked thoughtful. "Charm some of the corridors so when people accidentally brush the wall they're stuck there until it wears off."

"Excellent idea, Padfoot," James said, scratching the prank down on a scrap piece of parchment lying before him. "We'll definitely do that, but I was thinking something more…grand, per say, as our first for the year. Something that will definitely get the Marauders' name out there."

"Or, you know, we could actually try and be normal students this year," Remus said slyly, grinning when the other three turned to look at him in disgust. "Only kidding."

"You damn well better be, Moony," James growled, poking his quill in the other boy's direction threateningly. "Or you'll be facing the wrath of James Potter."

Remus pretended to shake, his eyes going wide. "N-no! N-not J-James P-P-Potter!"

"Stuff it, Remus," James said, rolling his eyes, though he was still grinning. "Seriously, mates, we have to think of something before breakfast."

And so they sat there, while the sun rose in the sky, debating various pranks and their level of grandeur, until Remus felt like they were beating a dead animal with a stick. They had exhausted themselves, and though they had a decent list that could last them well into sixth year, they still had nothing that James had deemed worthy enough to start the year with.

"My brain hurts," Peter moaned, about an hour later. "Let's just do Remus' idea and be done with it."

Remus had suggested charming the various statues of suits of armor around the castle, where every time a student walked by one, it would challenge them to a duel and start to fight them no matter the answer, but James shook his head, looking frazzled.

"Not good enough," he muttered, and Remus rolled his eyes, now lying flat on his back and struggling to stay awake.

"You know, maybe we've been going about this the wrong way," Sirius said slowly, and they all looked at him in confusion.

He shrugged his shoulders, brushing his black hair out of his face before elaborating. "I mean, we've been trying to come up with things where _we_ get into trouble so the other students will have a laugh. But what if we turned the tables a bit?"

"Go on, Pads," James said, leaning forward and staring at him intently. "How so?"

"Well, what if we reversed the meaning of a prank, and instead of _us_ being the ones to break the rules, we convinced everyone else to do it?"

Remus shook his head. "Nobody would buy it. They'd know it was a prank."

"But what if they didn't?" Sirius countered. "What if we disguised it as something else, but to us, we would still know it was a prank?"

James looked almost wolfish. "Like a game."

Sirius nodded. "Exactly."

"So…we come up with a game, and let the other students play it, while we sit back and watch our own dirty work be done for us?" Remus asked, and James and Sirius nodded. "That is evil, but…I'm in."

"Brilliant," James said, clapping his hands. "Now we just have to come up with the game."

"What about a scavenger hunt?" Peter said, his eyes shining. "We give everyone a list of tasks they have to compete in, with the ultimate goal being to not get caught, and they have to bring back proof that they completed the task in order to get a prize?"

James clapped Peter on the back. "Wormtail, you're a bloody genius." He looked to the rest of them, a crooked smile growing on his face, and Remus could just imagine the cogs working in his devilish brain. "All those in favor of the greatest game Hogwarts is ever gonna play?"

They all raised their hands.

"Excellent," he said. "We have an hour before breakfast, boys – let's get cracking."

* * *

Tired but giddy, the four boys got dressed an hour later and headed down to the Great Hall, their spirits only lifting higher when they saw that the Hogsmeade date had been posted in the common room.

They were one of the last ones to go to breakfast, but with the knowledge of what was coming with their first prank (effective the very next day and lasting all the way to the Saturday of the Hogsmeade trip), they entered with a sense of euphoria, and Remus felt as if nothing could bring him down from it, not even the looming threat of the full moon at the end of the week.

He was so drunk on mischief and happiness that he didn't even see the person in front of him until they had run straight into his side, making him stumble back into Sirius and saying, "Oi! Watch where—"

But he stopped abruptly when he realized who it was, his tone losing its biting edge as he said, "Cassie?"

The dark-haired girl looked up to him, her eyes wide and bloodshot, and Remus was taken aback when he saw that she appeared to be crying, her cheeks blotchy and her lashes wet, and he found himself reaching for her shoulder. "Cassie, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, her voice breaking on the word, and before Remus could question her further, she had brushed past them and fled the Great Hall, her long hair rippling around the corner before she was gone.

"What was that all about?" James muttered, but Remus didn't answer, not knowing himself, instead turning to the Gryffindor table and spotting the clustered group of Lily Evans, Alice Fortescue, and Marlene McKinnon.

"I'll be back," he said, before starting toward the three girls, worry gnawing at his insides, and he didn't even notice the other three following him until he reached their huddle.

"Er, hello," he said awkwardly, never really having spoken to them before, and the three girls looked up from their intense discussion, their expressions surprised and wary.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Lily asked suspiciously, and Remus noticed her eyes fixed on something over his shoulder, and he sighed when he turned around and saw James standing there with Sirius and Peter.

James just gave her an infuriating smile. "Good morning to you, too, Evans."

"I was wondering about Cassie," Remus said quickly, before Lily could think of hexing the black-haired boy, and she turned her emerald eyes on him, raising a brow while Alice and Marlene looked flabbergasted. "She seemed upset."

Lily shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what happened. One second she was fine, and then the next she had opened a letter and looked like she was going to faint, but when we asked, she just said she wasn't feeling well and took off."

Remus frowned. "Do you know who the letter was from?"

"Dunno," she said, lifting her shoulders. "It wasn't her parents, though. She already had a letter from them, and this one wasn't even addressed at all."

Remus tapped his fingers against his legs, a habit that manifested whenever he was anxious, but he was broken out of his thoughts when Alice spoke up from in front of him.

"Why do you care, anyway?" she asked, and he looked down to see her blue eyes twinkling with something he couldn't recognize. "I didn't know that you and Cassie were such good friends."

Remus stared at her blankly. "Well, erm, I'd like to think that we are…"

The short-haired girl's eyes flashed at this, and she shared a knowing smile with the other two, which only confused him more.

"Oh, come off it," Sirius scoffed, grabbing Remus' shoulder and pulling him away from the giggling girls. "Remus doesn't fancy her, so you can get that little fantasy out of your heads."

"And what about the rest of you?" Marlene challenged, though Remus noticed she had eyes only for the boy beside him. "We heard that you lot ate dinner with her last week; so what's your interest in our little Cass? We're quite territorial of our friends, you know, and we can't have you stealing her away from us."

Sirius opened his mouth to respond, but Lily beat him to it.

"Please, as if Cassie would willingly hang around blokes like Potter," she said snidely, and this only made James' grin widen.

"Jealous I'm not eating dinner with you, Evans?" he asked, and Lily blanched.

"I'd rather go on a romantic date with Peeves than be anywhere in your presence, _Potter,"_ she spat.

"I can arrange that," James said wickedly, and there was a light flaring in Lily's eyes that Remus had come to identify with her "hexing face," and he jumped in before a brawl could begin.

"Well, er, thanks anyway," he said hastily, before ushering the others in front of him. "Nice chat!"

Remus could hear their giggles all the way at the other end of the table, and he closed his eyes in silent prayer.

Bloody hell, girls were an odd bunch.

* * *

When her tears had dried and she was effectively a red, blotchy mess, Cassie debated whether she should suck it up and get on with her day or stay in bed forever. On one hand, she really couldn't afford to get behind in her lessons, but on the other, not having to put on a brave face and deal with her classmates sounded like the better option. But there was a reason she was in Gryffindor, right? And being brave, even if she didn't want to be, was one of the defining attributes of her House.

This thought was what ultimately pushed her to sit up and stumble into the washroom, rinsing off her face and neck with cold water and attempting to reduce the swelling of her eyes. Her skin was starting to go back to its fair color, but there was no way she could go out there and pass off as fine with her eyes like this.

Her shoulders slumping in defeat, she pulled out her toiletry bag and extracted the numerous makeup products her mother forced upon her every year, grudgingly grateful for them right now so she wouldn't be walking around like a red-eyed demon the whole day. She had never been one for makeup, saving it only for special occasions (and even then, her mother wouldn't rest until Cassie's face was entirely dolled up), but she decided that a little eyeliner and mascara couldn't hurt, and some powder to even out her face would help, too.

She did it as light as she could, but enough to where she looked bright-eyed and fresh, and when she was satisfied with her appearance, she stepped back into the dormitory and collected her things, deciding that being late to History of Magic was better than not showing up at all, so she headed down the stairs.

Binns didn't even look up from his lecturing when she slipped quietly into the classroom and slid into her desk in the back, the Hufflepuff boy who sat next to her (whose name she still hadn't learned yet) already fast asleep on top of his book.

Cassie pulled out parchment and a quill for notes, but had barely tuned in to Binns' monologue when a folded piece of paper landed on her desk.

Furtively looking around to make sure no one had seen, she opened the parchment and read.

 _Moony thought you were dead when you weren't in class earlier. You all right?_

Cassie looked across the aisle to see Potter waving to her, and she supposed the note came from him before her gaze slid to Remus, who just shook his head slightly to counter Potter's scribbled note. She scrawled back a reply.

 _Moony?_

She remembered that name from nearly a month ago, when the three Marauders had been sneaking out of Gryffindor Tower to meet with 'Moony', and the note Potter had thrown at Remus one of their first days in Defense; he had called him 'Moony' then, and Cassie was curious about the nickname.

Remus and Potter read her reply when she passed it back, and Remus glared at the bespectacled boy while he looked sheepish. The note landed back on her desk a few moments later.

 _Don't avoid the question._

Cassie rolled her eyes.

 _Don't avoid mine._

A minute later the note came back to her.

 _Nickname we came up with first year. Not important._

Cassie frowned. That really didn't offer her any explanation at all. So she tried a different tactic.

 _And what about Wormtail?_

She looked over to see Potter and Remus staring at her with varying levels of surprise and confusion, and she mimed writing so they would reply.

 _How do you know about that?_

She grinned slightly to herself; they had practically given her an answer without even realizing it.

 _You lot aren't exactly the quietest bunch._

The two dipped their heads together and whispered for a few minutes, before it was passed over again.

 _Wormtail is Peter's nickname. I'm Prongs. Sirius is Padfoot. It's just something stupid we started over the summer. Happy now, Princess?_

Cassie smirked.

 _Exceptionally. Why those names?_

Potter glared over at her.

 _Why so nosy?_

She rolled her eyes.

 _Fine, whatever. Keep your secrets._

She felt Remus looking at her carefully.

 _Like you keep yours?_

This note came from him – she could tell by the neat letters, compared to James' scrawl. She shot the sandy-haired boy a look, which he returned with an innocent shrug.

 _Low blow. It's nothing._

He gave her an incredulous look.

 _And I'm Dumbledore. Come on, spill it._

She shook her head, crumpling up the note and mouthing _Later_ to him.

Seemingly satisfied, he sat back in his seat, and Cassie went back to taking notes on witch burnings throughout the Dark Ages, already dreading the coming confrontation.

* * *

But it never came.

They had barely sat in their seats when Defense Against the Dark Arts started before Professor Carlisle was already upon them, her demeanor as cold as ever.

"Today you will be practicing the Shield Charms we discussed last class," she said, leaning against her desk and sweeping her frosty eyes over the assembled students. "You will be assigned a partner, and one of you will attempt to Disarm while the other attempts to deflect it using a Shield Charm. The partners are as followed…"

Marlene got paired up with Sirius Black, and Cassie could imagine the blonde girl's delight at this arrangement as they moved to stand together, Black giving his partner a smirk that nearly reduced Marlene to a puddle on the floor.

Cassie rolled her eyes at this, listening as Potter was partnered off with Alice, Remus got put with Lily (which she looked delighted by, while Potter scowled), Pettigrew with a Slytherin girl twice his size, until she was one of the last four to be decided.

"Miss Alderfair, with Mr. Avery," she said, her red lips turning up in a smug smile when Cassie reluctantly went to stand with Avery, keeping her eyes on her feet as the professor waved her wand, and the desks were pushed back to the walls, leaving an open space for them to practice in as soft cushions filled the floor.

"You have an hour and a half to practice," she said. "I will come by and observe you towards the end of class, so it may be prudent for some of you to work during this time. You may begin."

Cassie looked at Avery out of the corner of her eye, saying awkwardly, "Um, do you want to practice first?"

He gave her a cursory glance. "Sure."

She nodded as he moved to stand across from her, his wand raised as she took a deep breath. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Raising her wand, she flicked it quickly, saying, _"Expelliarmus!"_ at the same time he said, _"Protego!"_

His shield wavered, and his wand tugged in his grip, but otherwise the charm held, and Cassie nodded, impressed. "Have you been practicing?"

He gave her a tiny grin. "For the past two nights."

"It shows," she said, rolling up her sleeves and taking her stance again. _"Expelliarmus!"_

This time, his shield held, and Cassie met his eyes, a startling light blue, when he smirked to himself.

"You want to try?" he asked, gesturing to her with his chin, and she nodded. "Yeah."

She shifted her feet, trying to remember the hand motions for the spell, when suddenly his voice cried out, _"Expelliarmus!"_

 _"Pro—"_ She never finished, for her wand was suddenly blasted out of her hand, and she frowned, all of a sudden disgruntled when she heard Avery chuckle.

"Not ready?" he asked amusedly, as she tracked down her wand amongst the scattered cushions and straightened up, shaking her head tightly. She tried not to show how miffed she was when she turned back to face him; Defense had always been one of her best subjects, and she wasn't too keen on getting her self-esteem knocked so low after everything that had happened that morning.

"Again," she said, and he hesitated only briefly before flicking his wand.

 _"Protego!"_

 _"Expelliarmus!"_

Her wand flew out of her hand again, and Avery caught it deftly, giving her a small smirk as she let out a grunt of frustration.

"Don't be discouraged," he said, when she came to retrieve her wand. "That's what this is about right now: practice."

Cassie didn't say anything, instead taking back her wand, and she was about to turn away when he said, with some curiosity, "You look different today."

She looked up, her face flushing when she saw him studying her carefully with his pale eyes.

"Oh, erm, it's makeup," she confessed, shrugging her shoulders slightly, and he nodded thoughtfully.

"It looks good," he said finally, and Cassie felt her face get warmer. "Er, thanks."

She highly doubted he was commenting on how well she had done it, but rather how it made her look, and she felt heat creep down her neck as she wondered if Avery was referring to her as attractive. He couldn't have been, though. He was a Slytherin, and she was a Gryffindor. They had nothing in common whatsoever.

 _Except for your families,_ a small voice said in the back of her mind. _Both purebloods, both with Death Eater ties. You're not that different…_

Cassie grit her teeth, shaking her head before looking back into Avery's pale eyes. "Again."

Across the room, Sirius happened to see Avery and Cassie talking as he looked around in boredom, and he narrowed his eyes when Avery said something that caused the girl to blush. He glanced to the other Marauders to see if anyone else had noticed, particularly Remus, but they were all busy practicing to give them any notice.

"Sirius, you ready?" Marlene asked, and he turned back to the blonde girl in front of him, seeing her giving him a playful smirk that was borderline seductive, and he felt his own slide into place as he raised his wand. "I'm always ready, love."

He gave her a wink that made her blush, and he tried not to think of the red that had stained Cassie Alderfair's cheeks a moment before as he readied for Marlene's Disarming Spell, pushing all suspicions of Avery and the dark-haired girl from his mind.

* * *

 **Please review! They brighten my day immensely and encourage me to keep updating so quickly!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Marauders' Obstreperous Scavenger Hunt (or 'The MOSH')_**

 **xx**


	8. The MOSH

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **I'm kind of ridiculously excited about this chapter, and I really hope the rest of you are as pumped as I am for what's coming next.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, ChizomenoHime, wickedgrl123, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Eight: The Marauders' Obstreperous Scavenger Hunt

"I cannot _believe_ them!"

Cassie was startled awake when she heard the dormitory door slam open, and heavy footsteps stomped across the wooden floors as she lay in bed still, sighing when she realized that she would not be able to go back to sleep now.

Drawing back the curtains of her four-poster, she peered out to see Lily pacing angrily around their dorm, her face flushed and her eyes bright.

"Such a _blatant_ disregard for school rules!" she ranted, and Cassie saw the dressing Marlene edge out of the red-haired witch's way as Alice met her eyes from across the room, mouthing _what the hell?_ Cassie just shrugged as Lily went on.

 _"How_ Lupin ever became a Prefect is beyond me! I expected better of him this year, but of course, where _Potter_ is concerned…"

She shook her head, red hair flying, and Cassie finally summoned enough courage to ask, "Um, what's going on?"

Lily whirled on her, and the other girl shrank back into her sheets as she thrust a piece of parchment at her. _"This."_

Cassie hesitantly took the paper, as if afraid it would burn her as Lily continued to fume, muttering under her breath still. Marlene and Alice squished on either side of her to get a look at the paper, where lurid green writing flashed out at them as she began to read to herself.

 _Greetings, fellow troublemakers and rule-breakers of Hogwarts!_

 _Tired of being a perfect goody two-shoes? Sick of Prefects and Heads telling you what to do? Stuck wishing you could be more like the devilishly handsome and brilliantly mischievous Marauders?_

 _Well, we have the perfect solution!_

Cassie could feel a grin threatening to come on, and she chanced a glance at Lily, already seeing what had pissed the Prefect off so royally as she continued to read.

 _For one week, and one week only, we (yes, WE) give you all full permission to wreak havoc and mayhem upon this castle. But how, you may ask? Why, by breaking every school rule, of course, in the guise of a scavenger hunt!_

" _But isn't that…against the rules?"_

 _The point exactly, lads and ladies._

" _But why would we break the rules?"_

 _To become a legend like the Marauders themselves, to win over the heart of a cheeky lass or gentle-lad with your stunning display of disregard for authority (a 100% guaranteed way to give off that "rebel-by-day-lover-by-night" aura), to let loose and have fun, to win prizes (examples being: Honeydukes sweets, Zonko's merchandise, a date with one of the aforementioned exceptionally handsome Marauders…) Indeed, the possibilities are endless._

" _But what if we get caught?"_

 _Never fear, fellow students. Just tell 'em the Marauders sent you._

" _Couldn't anyone just turn you in?"_

 _Not a chance! Anyone who reads these papers and attempts to tell a staff member or other rule-abiding body will be subject to a rather nasty variation of the Furnunculus Hex that as of yet has no cure. Therefore, it is ill-advised to tattle._

 _For a complete set of rules and rewards, and to receive your first clue for the scavenger hunt, please see the Marauders: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew._

 _Let the games begin!_

Cassie finished reading and looked up, unable to bite back a chuckle at the scandalized look Lily was giving her.

"This is not a laughing matter, Cassie!" she cried, stamping her foot, and Cassie ducked her head as her laughs threatened to overwhelm her. "These blithering idiots are setting this whole school up for detentions, and rule-breaking, and—"

"Fun?" she supplied, raising her head and looking Lily in the eye when she stopped, frowning down at her. Cassie shook her head, gesturing to the parchment. "C'mon, Lily, it's just a laugh. Nothing serious is going to come from this."

Lily stared at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"Of course you would support them in this _escapade,"_ she said, crossing her arms. "But just because you and Remus Lupin fancy each other doesn't mean—"

"Bloody Merlin, _what?"_ Cassie exclaimed, blanching, though her cheeks immediately began to flare when all the girls turned on her with half-excited, half-exasperated looks. "You – you think Remus and I are… _what?"_

"Don't play dumb with us!" Marlene squealed, nudging her shoulder. "We've noticed the two of you growing closer!"

"Half the school has," Alice muttered, and Cassie made a rasping noise in the back of her throat. "C'mon, Cass, why else would he have come to us saying he was worried about you?"

This brought Cassie up short. "He _what?"_

Alice rolled her eyes as Lily and Marlene groaned. "Yesterday, when you left the Great Hall. He came up to us and asked what had happened. Nearly pined like a kicked puppy, too."

"You've got it all wrong," Cassie said, numb with shock. "We're definitely…not like that…"

"Give us details!" Marlene said, scooting closer to her on the bed and gazing at her wistfully. "When did it start? When did you realize you liked him?"

Cassie scrambled off the bed, suddenly feeling like her head was on fire.

"I do _not_ fancy Remus Lupin, and he does _not_ fancy me!" she shouted as she ran for the washroom. "You'll forgive me if I'd rather not be interrogated the rest of the morning by my deranged, delusional _friends!"_

And with that, she slammed the washroom door shut behind her, turning on a shower full-blast to escape the mad giggling coming from the other room.

When would her embarrassment ever end? It seemed her whole life was one fat, colossal joke, and she slid down the wall to sit on the tiled floor, clutching her face in her hands as tears threatened to build.

Everything was going so wrong. She had wanted this year to be smooth sailing, to go back to being the invisible girl no one ever looked twice at, unless they were familiar with her surname. She had wanted the whispers to stop, the rumors to dissipate, the stares to end. She just wanted to be left _alone,_ dammit!

She buried her head in her knees, wishing Sirius Black had never helped her on the platform, that James Potter had never asked for her quill, that Remus Lupin had never been so kind to her and for everyone to see that kindness as attraction. She wished her brother had never written her, that he had never left, that she should have convinced him to stay, if only to give her the illusion of a semi-normal life. As selfish as it sounded, she blamed him for getting her into this mess in the first place, for making her a target for gossip, and for others to look down on her with pity and relief that they were not in her place. She just wanted things to go back to normal.

Suddenly feeling a well of anger and hurt open inside of her, she got up and turned the shower off, listening for the other girls' voices. When she heard nothing, she opened the door cautiously, and found to her relief that they had already gone to breakfast. Sighing, she got ready as slowly as she could, before finally descending the staircase into the common room.

Most students were still at breakfast when she entered the nearly empty room, but to her great horror, the Marauders were sitting in their usual seats by the fireplace, and she fought down the sudden urge to turn tail and flee.

 _Act natural. Don't draw attention. You are one with the wallpaper._

No sooner had she thought this then her bag strap got caught on a chair and it toppled over with a very noticeable crash, and she internally screamed when she felt their eyes land on her, struggling to put the chair in its rightful place and run before they could realize it was her.

"Nice going, Alderfair."

Biting back a whimper, she turned to see Potter smirking at her, and her face flushed with mortification when she met Remus' eyes before quickly looking away.

"Thanks, Potter," she said flatly. "I have a knack for sweeping things off their feet, I guess."

Pettigrew snorted at this, and when Cassie darted her gaze to him, he actually gave her a tiny grin instead of averting his eyes, like he usually did.

 _All right, maybe Pettigrew isn't so bad. The others can stay away, though._

"What's the hurry?" Remus asked, cocking his head as he studied her, and Cassie suddenly became very interested in the carpet.

"Ah, didn't want to miss breakfast," she said, lifting one shoulder in a shrug, and she heard Black let out the tiniest of snorts.

She turned her glare on him, where he sat languidly in his chair, feet propped on the table and skimming through the pages of _Quidditch Today,_ but he looked up when he felt her gaze, raising an arrogant brow. "Problem?"

"Yeah, one, and it's you," she retorted, her snarky reply making his brows contract.

"Is that so?" he drawled, and Cassie grit her teeth, annoyed by his imperious attitude.

"Get a life, Black," she snapped, rolling her eyes, and he gave her a nasty smile.

"Already have one, and it's not too shabby," he said coldly. "Might I suggest a better insult next time?"

She opened her mouth to retort, but Remus broke in before she could.

"Oh, bugger, I forgot my Charms book!" he said loudly, rising from his seat quickly. "Cassie, d'you mind helping me look for it?"

He gave her a meaningful look, and everything in her screamed to say no and make a run for the Great Hall, but she found herself following him away from the Marauders silently, barely even noticing when they started up the staircase leading to the boys' dormitories.

The going was silent, and it was with a faint register of surprise that he led her into the dormitory he shared with the other Marauders, and he shut the door behind her, giving her a few seconds to stand awkwardly in the middle of the room and take in her surroundings.

It was cleaner than she expected it to be, considering the four boys who shared it. Clothes were folded and hung, and the beds were at least attempted to be made, though the candy wrappers and loose pieces of parchment strewn about detracted from the cleanliness a bit. She could easily make out whose bed was whose just from the personal items around them, and she studied them in interest despite her nervousness at being alone with Remus.

The bed nearest her on the left side was obviously Pettigrew's; it was decorated with pictures of him and the Marauders, and two mousy, fair-haired adults who had to be his parents, and she assumed the pictures were from a Muggle camera, as they remained stationary, frozen forever in time. Chocolate Frog cards and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum wrappers littered the bedside table, and she smiled softly to herself before moving on.

The next bed had to be Potter's. Quidditch posters and various team flags were hung on the wall, with the largest banner being that of their Gryffindor House, and she could see the handle of a broomstick poking out from underneath the bed, sleek and well-maintained. Black's bed was on the other side of Potter's, and she felt herself frown in confusion with how… _Muggle_ he had tried to make his space.

Unmoving posters of Muggle rock bands wearing too much eyeliner and leather stared back at her, and there were a few pictures of Muggle girls scantily dressed that simpered up to her, and she pulled a face at his crude taste. There was only one picture, of him arm-in-arm with the Marauders, taken in front of the school, and she watched them laugh and ruffle each other's hair in the shot, her annoyance relenting slightly when she saw Black amongst them, looking the happiest of them all. There were no pictures of his family.

Remus moved from the door and sat on the edge of his own bed, impeccably made but littered with books and other miscellaneous items that he cleared out of the way before patting the space next to him. Cassie just gave him an annoyed glare.

"If you're going to lecture me about Black, save your breath," she said haughtily, crossing her arms, and Remus smiled ruefully.

"I'm not going to lecture you about Sirius," he said amusedly, watching her with glittering green eyes. "Though I will say that you should be careful: Sirius likes to play dirty, and anyone who is even remotely on his level will have a serious challenge on their hands when it comes to playing 'who is snobbier.'"

Cassie made a face at the unintentional pun, only sniffing disdainfully.

"I don't know what his problem is, anyway," she muttered. "I've barely spoken to him and he looks at me like I personally threatened to cut off all his hair."

Remus snorted, leaning back against his headboard and running a hand through his sandy hair.

"Sirius is…a wary bloke," he said, and Cassie resisted the urge to scoff. "He doesn't immediately take to new people, and, well…"

He trailed off, suddenly looking uncertain, and that was when it hit her. "He doesn't trust me."

She said it so bluntly Remus looked up in shock, his lips parting, but she just shook her head, suddenly feeling as if she had been doused in ice water.

"He thinks I'm like my brother," she continued bitterly, and she fought down the tears coming on, determined not to cry anymore. "He doesn't want me around because he thinks I'll end up like, like one of _them."_

Her voice broke on the last word, and Remus jumped up from the bed, moving over to her as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"He doesn't think that you're like your brother, Cassie," he said, and she felt him reach out, as if to touch her, before letting his hand fall back to his side. "Sirius…he comes from a rotten family. He's learned to put up this guard around anyone he isn't familiar with, and it comes off as cold and distrustful sometimes, yeah, but he doesn't think you're bad, Cassie. If anything, he sees himself in you, in what you're going through, and I think it scares him a little bit."

Cassie paused, letting Remus' words sink in as she thought about what he had said. She knew about the Blacks, mostly from secondhand knowledge her parents gave her, and she vaguely remembered meeting some of them from childhood dinner parties her parents threw. They supported You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters, being purebloods such as her parents, but she also knew that that particular family had spawned many Dark witches and wizards through the ages. But Sirius was a Gryffindor, as was she, and Remus' words seemed to click in her mind.

"That…makes sense," she admitted quietly, before shooting Remus a dark look. "Why do you have to be so reasonable?"

He chuckled. "Someone has to be, if I'm left to deal with you lot."

She glared. "I resent that."

"Of course you do." He looked highly amused, though his eyes were still too serious, and she suddenly remembered why she had dreaded being alone with him earlier and hastily dropped her gaze, brushing invisible dirt off of her robes.

A lengthy silence began to grow between them, and Cassie suddenly itched to say something. Before even thinking about her words, she blurted out, "The girls think you fancy me," at the same time he said, "So what happened yesterday?"

Cassie gaped, her eyes widening in horror when he stared back, mouth agape, his face and neck flushing red.

 _Let me die. Oh, Merlin, if you have any mercy, please smite me on the spot._

"Erm, you know, let's just forget I said that," she squeaked, forcing a very pained smile. "Professor Kettleburn said our class might study bowtruckles today, and I think that's incredibly boring, don't you? But you're not in Care of Magical Creatures, so you probably don't care, but I—"

"Cassie," he said, holding up a hand to cut off her rambling, and she felt like sinking into the floor when she heard how strangled his voice was. "Look, I don't know how to say this, but, er…I don't. Fancy you, that is."

Instant relief coursed through her, but at the same time, she felt a little offended, wondering why he wouldn't. Realizing how petty and stupid that thought was, however, she brushed it off, trying not to look too happy.

"Oh, thank Merlin," she said, before mentally slapping her forehead at her callous words. "I mean, not that it would've been a problem if you did! And I'm not trying to sound so relieved, you're attractive and all, but still, it would've been weird. Not weird! That came out so wrong. I just meant—"

She shut her eyes to block out his increasingly bemused face, her cheeks feverish and mortification threatening to drag her into the abyss. _Stop talking. Please, just shut up._

"I believe we've established our feelings enough on the matter, Cassie," he said, and he sounded like he was on the verge of laughing, which only made her cringe more. "Let's not strain ourselves further, yeah?"

Cassie opened her eyes to glare at him. "Why are you laughing at me?"

To prove her point, he let out a chuckle, raising his hands in defense when her look turned acidic. "I'm not! Cassie, I swear I'm not, just…this whole thing is absurd, really. I don't understand how girls interpret feelings based on the smallest of things. They can make up an entire convoluted story based on one tiny gesture."

"Like someone asking your friends if you're okay." She suddenly remembered Alice's words from earlier, about how Remus had approached them, worried about her well-being, and she felt touched and apprehensive at the same time, knowing he was going to ask her about the whole ordeal.

He nodded slowly, as if sensing her hesitation. "Yeah, like that."

Another silence stretched between them, and Cassie bit her lip, uncertain. She wanted to talk about this, to get someone's advice, but she couldn't bring herself to admit that her brother had written her to the other girls. It just didn't feel right. But she recalled the night at dinner, when Remus had talked to her so earnestly, and she decided that if anyone could understand, then maybe it would be him.

"My brother wrote me a letter," she said finally, her voice softer now as she recounted the events of yesterday. "It was so strange, and unexpected. We hadn't communicated at all since he left in June, but he asked if he could see me in Hogsmeade next weekend, so he could give me my birthday present."

She shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "I was just so…surprised. And angry. I didn't know what to do. I still don't, really." She shrugged. "I guess it's just complicated."

Remus nodded thoughtfully, his expression pondering. "Well, do you want to see him? Honestly?"

Cassie opened her mouth to respond 'no', but the way Remus was looking at her gave her pause. Did she want to see William? Even his name sent anger running through her, but she thought past that, looking instead to what it would be like to see him. She could _talk_ to him, away from their family, away from everyone else – maybe she could get an explanation for why he was doing this, maybe she could change his mind. A dart of hope planted itself firmly in her chest, and she looked back to Remus, knowing her answer.

"I…yes," she said. "I mean, it wouldn't exactly hurt, would it?"

He shrugged. "It's up to you, Cassie. You have to make this choice for yourself."

She nibbled on her bottom lip, nodding slightly. "I'll give him a chance, then."

Remus gave her a look she couldn't decipher, but before she could ask his opinion, he said, "Did you mention something about a birthday?"

"Yes," she said warily. "I'm turning sixteen on the 30th."

He gave her a wolfish grin. "You know, Sirius' birthday is the 3rd of November. Four days after yours."

Cassie scowled at the mention of Black. "So?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, we Marauders know how to throw a party when the occasion calls for it, and with two birthdays in the same week…"

She shook her head. "Oh, no. I am _not_ having a joint birthday party with _Sirius Black."_

"We'll see about that." He grinned, taking a step closer to her, and she looked up into his face, up until then unaware of just how tall he was; she was on the taller side, as well, for a girl, but he stood at least a head above her. She was startled to see that his eyes were now a dark green, and a smirk that could rival Black's danced across his lips as he met her gaze. "You'll learn soon enough that I can be _very_ persuasive."

He took another step, but the intense spell was broken when Cassie purposefully stepped on his foot, hard, and he cursed, stumbling back as she laughed.

"Nice try, Lupin," she said wickedly. "But you're going to have to do better than that if you want me to party with you and your mates."

"A deal, then," he said. "Complete a task for the scavenger hunt, and I won't hound you to join us. Fail to do so, then you're stuck with us. Forever."

"You realize that Lily is out for your head because of that, yeah?" she asked, sidestepping the challenge with ease. "She will see you lot destroyed when this is all over."

"Something James must be wetting himself over, I bet," he cracked, and they shared a grin at the image it provided before Cassie shook her head.

"C'mon, _Moony,"_ she said sarcastically, turning to the dormitory door and missing the unease that had passed over his face when she used his nickname. "I'm starving. Let's get something to eat."

They descended the staircase, and the other three Marauders looked up from where they were still seated in the common room, their expressions unreadable, though she took extra care not to glance over at Black this time around.

"What took so long?" Potter complained. "Or were you too busy snogging each other to even think about your poor, hungry mate?"

Emboldened by her talk with Remus, she slapped Potter on the back of the head, earning an incredulous scowl from the bespectacled boy and a nod of approval from Remus.

"Stuff it, Potter," she said good-naturedly, as Pettigrew laughed at his dumbfounded expression.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"Think of it as payback," she suggested, shrugging slightly. "You know, for 'borrowing' my quill."

He shot Remus a glare. "I blame you for this."

"Also for being a git!" she called over her shoulder, before leading them out of the common room, Potter grumbling all the way.

* * *

True to Cassie's rambling prediction, bowtruckles were agonizingly boring. Besides the occasional bid for freedom the tiny tree-men tried to make, and the numerous scratches and bites she had received from the one she was supposed to be drawing, all they did was sulk and make odd chirping noises, pulling faces at her that she returned childishly as she labeled the parts Professor Kettleburn had instructed them to.

"Will you quit that?" Lily admonished, when she looked up from her diagram to see Cassie and the bowtruckle sticking their tongues out at each other. "You're just going to antagonize it even more."

"Little Leaf wouldn't do that to me," she said, looking away from the tree-like creature to gaze imploringly at her partner. "We have a very sacred bond."

Lily just shook her head. "You named it?"

"It was either Little Leaf or Antonio."

"You're a very odd person, Cassie."

"So I've been told."

They went back to sketching Little Leaf, but Cassie sighed and stopped drawing when she felt Lily's eyes trained on her for the millionth time since breakfast.

She knew the girls had been in fits when she walked in with the Marauders, but when she had sat with them to eat, they hadn't questioned her about it, which she found strange. They were dying to interrogate her, though, she could tell, but she had left before they could, running by the Owlery before class to send a hastily scrawled reply to her brother along with Osbourne.

 _Will –_

 _The overlook by the Shrieking Shack. 11:00. Don't be late._

With that gruesome task out of the way, she had spent her day in relative peace, especially since she didn't have to deal with the Marauders that much, as they didn't sit together in any of the day's classes. Care of Magical Creatures was even less pressure, as Alice and Marlene had Divination, and she had learned that Remus and Black had Ancient Runes together that block, leaving her only with Lily, Potter, and Pettigrew, though the latter two knew to stay away where the Prefect was involved.

"I'm starting to think you're drawing me instead of Little Leaf here," she said finally, turning to Lily and raising a brow when the red-haired girl looked sheepish.

"Sorry," she said. "I just…you seem so different lately."

Cassie lifted both her brows now in speculation, wondering what she meant. Her words reminded her of Avery's from yesterday, and she grimaced at the memory, wondering why everyone was seeing her so "differently" now.

"How so?" she asked coolly.

"I mean, the Marauders, Cass?" she said, casting a surreptitious look at Potter and Pettigrew, where they were playing a game of monkey-in-the-middle with a pebble and their bowtruckle, laughing hysterically. "When did you start associating with them?"

Cassie shrugged. "Why's it so astonishing?"

"Because they're…them," she said, suddenly looking flustered as she gestured vaguely with her hands. "And you're…you."

"Thanks," Cassie said drily. "Like I needed the reminder."

Lily's face turned as red as her hair. "Cassie! That's not what I meant. I just, well…"

"Well, what?" Cassie said, her patience wearing thin. "Am I not allowed to talk to them? Is it forbidden?"

Lily sighed. "I just want you to be careful, Cassie. They're bad news. The things Sev tells me, about what they do to him, and others…"

Cassie frowned at this. "Severus Snape? What does he know?"

Lily looked affronted. "That Potter and Black bully him mercilessly!" she cried. "They pick on him just because they can, and I don't think you should be hanging around with people who do those sorts of things!"

"I can make judgments for myself, thanks," she said irritably. "And it's not like I'm hanging around with Potter and Black; I'm only friends with Remus."

Lily shook her head, her expression worried, though Cassie could tell she still wasn't convinced. "I don't want to fight over this, Cassie. But I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I don't want to fight either," she said. "And I appreciate your concern, Lils, but I think you should have a little more faith in me to make decisions for myself."

"Of course," she said, placing her hand on top of Cassie's and giving her a gentle smile.

Cassie smiled back, but leapt to her feet when she felt a tiny set of teeth bite into her shin, and she let out a frustrated yell when she saw Little Leaf clinging to her stocking, his teeth gnawing on her leg through the fabric.

"Little Leaf!" she cried in dismay, grabbing the bowtruckle by his tree-like torso and pulling him off. "How could you?"

Professor Kettleburn hobbled over, yelling something about manhandling the creatures inappropriately, and the bowtruckle gave her a smirk that was oddly reminiscent of Potter's, who was rolling on the ground a few meters away, laughing his head off.

 _I'm going to kill him._

* * *

After dinner, Cassie was cornered in the entry hall by Alice, and she prepared herself for an onslaught of questions, but was taken aback when the other girl dragged her into a corner, out of sight of the exiting students going back to their common rooms.

"I need your help," she whispered, and Cassie gave her a puzzled look. "Okay. Why are we whispering?"

"Because this is strictly between you and me," she replied, her round face oddly serious, and Cassie had a feeling she wasn't going to like whatever she had to say. "Not even Lily and Mar can know."

This piqued Cassie's interest. "Why not?"

Alice suddenly looked pained as she spoke the next words. "Because I'm doing one of the tasks for the scavenger hunt."

Cassie blinked. "Er, what?"

"I know, I know, it's stupid!" she said, wringing her hands. "I shouldn't even be thinking about it! But something that stupid paper said, about being regaled as a royal prankster to those you admire…"

Cassie felt her eyes widen. "You want to impress Frank?"

Alice nodded, sucking in her lip, and Cassie clapped her hands together, squealing.

"This is so cute! Go for it, Al!"

She gave her a weak smile. "I want to. But I want you to do it with me."

This brought Cassie up short. "Come again?"

"Think about it, Cassie!" she gushed. "I get to show off for Frank, and you could win a date with Remus! It's perfect!"

"Except for the slight problem of me not being remotely interested in Remus," she said, suddenly less enthusiastic than before, and Alice gripped her arm.

"Then do it for me!" she pleaded. "Please, just one task. I already got my hint from Pettigrew today – we can do it tonight!"

"What's the task?" she asked warily, and Alice dug out a slip of parchment from her pocket, handing it over so she could read.

Printed in the same bright green ink as the parchment this morning was the task: _At precisely 1:13 in the morning, one must sneak out of bed and find the kitchens. Once there, the hunter/huntress must procure one slice of lemon meringue pie, take three bites from it, and bring it back to the Marauders as proof that the task is completed. Rules broken: sneaking around the castle after hours, raiding the off-limits kitchens._

"This is ridiculous," Cassie said. "No one even knows where the kitchens are."

"There's a hint on the back," Alice said, and Cassie turned the paper over.

 _"Pears are the most ticklish of fruits. Wonder how many Hufflepuffs know the secret to get their loots?"_ she read out loud, before looking to Alice in bafflement. "What the bloody hell does that mean?"

"No idea," she said, but pouted when Cassie rolled her eyes. "This is why I need you! I only have today to complete the task, or else Pettigrew said I'm disqualified from the game!"

Cassie couldn't believe this; it seemed like every step she made to not get involved with the Marauders only sucked her in deeper, but she knew she couldn't back out on Alice. Damn those eyes of hers.

"Fine," Cassie said reluctantly, and Alice jumped up and down in excitement, squealing, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

She hugged Cassie tightly, making the other girl grimace, but both of them were too preoccupied to notice the four boys watching them from afar on the pretense of stopping and pretending to talk while Peter mimed tying his shoelaces.

"She's in," Remus said with a mischievous grin, his sharp ears making out what had been Cassie's very reluctant agreement, and James rubbed his hands together.

"Excellent," he said. "I say we bust out the cloak tonight and watch the show. As clumsy as Alderfair is, this is bound to be interesting."

"Embarrassing, more like," Sirius said, sounding bored. "But entertaining, nonetheless."

Peter nodded in agreement. "Maybe she'll run into Peeves!"

The Marauders watched the two girls ascend the staircase, heading back to the common room, and Remus started after them with a cheeky, "Only one way to find out."

Peter and James shared a gleeful grin, and Sirius rolled his eyes as they followed suit, eager to see what this game had in store for one Cassie Alderfair.

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 **Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 ***This chapter was originally going to include Cassie and Alice's nighttime adventure, but I decided to save that for next time due to length***

 **Next Chapter: _The Alliance_**

 **xx**


	9. The Alliance

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **This chapter was surprisingly hard to write, so please let me know what you think of it!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, littlebirdy123, The Wishing Well, ChizomenoHime, and Guest! All of you are so great - the response to this fic is incredible, and you guys encourage me to keep writing and updating so frequently! Thank you!**

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Alliance

Cassie was shaken awake a little before one in the morning, and she grunted into her pillow, trying to escape the insistent hand, but bolted upright when said hand prodded her painfully in the side and she turned to glare at Alice.

"Could you be any gentler?" she asked sarcastically, rubbing under her rib where she had been poked, and all she saw was the outline of Alice's smile in the dark.

"No," she replied sweetly, and Cassie scowled, seeing the shadow that was Alice moving toward the dormitory door.

"Remember, 1:13," she whispered, before exiting the dormitory, and Cassie grumbled inaudibly to herself, moving as quietly as she could as not to disturb Lily and Marlene.

She pulled on a pair of Muggle jeans and laced up the worn trainers she had had since the beginning of last year, vowing to buy herself new ones soon, if she could escape the ever-watchful eyes of her parents. She had always preferred Muggle fashion, finding it much more practical and stylish, and though her mother was more lenient when it came down to it, she knew her father would likely have a stroke if he saw her in anything other than wizard robes. Hogwarts was the one place where she could wear anything she liked, and, suddenly feeling very rebellious, she crept out of the dormitory and stole downstairs, meeting Alice in the common room.

The brunette witch was bouncing nervously on the balls of her feet when Cassie approached, her short hair piled into a messy bun on top of her head, but her eyes were bright with excitement.

"So, I've been thinking about the hint," she said immediately, waving the slip of parchment in her hand. "And that line about the Hufflepuffs has to be important, right? So I think the kitchens are close to the Hufflepuff common room."

"Where even is that?" Cassie asked, stifling a yawn.

"I think it's a basement sort of thing, below the Great Hall," she said. "I've seen Hufflepuffs going to and fro after meals; there's a staircase that they always emerge from, but I don't think it's a dungeon, like the Slytherins."

"If that's our only lead, then we should get going," Cassie said. "I'd rather not run into Filch tonight, or anyone else, for that matter."

Alice nodded, checking her watch. "It's 1:13. Let's go."

Feeling a thrill of adrenaline course through her at the thought of sneaking out of the common room after hours for the first time, Cassie followed Alice out of the portrait hole, creeping as quietly as they could so as not to notify the Fat Lady, who was dozing contentedly in her frame.

She stirred as they entered the corridor, but otherwise remained asleep, and the two girls snuck around a corner before Cassie uttered, _"Lumos."_ The tip of her wand illuminated with a bright but muted white light, bathing the corridor in a ghostly glow, and she jerked her head toward the moving staircases.

"C'mon," she whispered, and they started for the staircases, unaware that the Fat Lady's portrait had swung open once more behind them, though if one had looked, they would not have been able to see anyone emerge, save for a glimpse of a trainer belonging to Peter Pettigrew.

"Peter!" James whispered harshly, when the blond boy tripped coming out of the portrait hole, as per usual, but he glared at James' quiet admonishment.

"'S not my fault you lot are giants compared to me!" he hissed, readjusting the edge of the cloak covering him so his feet were partially hidden. This proved to be more difficult than it had been in the past, however, as James, Sirius, and Remus seemed to have grown a meter each over the summer, and they could all barely fit under James' Invisibility Cloak now.

"Stuff it, midget," Sirius said, blowing a piece of hair out of his mouth as they stole down the corridor, following the retreating backs of the two girls ahead of them. "They're going to hear you."

Peter huffed in annoyance, though he didn't comment further as they turned the corner, Cassie Alderfair's wand lighting the way as the girls began to descend the trick staircases.

How they were going to descend seven floors and sneak into the basement level without being caught was beyond Cassie, but she decided to take it one step at a time, leading Alice through the maze of stairs with the ease of one who has had to deal with them every day for five years.

They hopped over the stairs that were sure to capture their legs if they stepped on them, and they held on when the staircases decided to change on a whim, but they were across soon enough, and they emerged on the sixth floor, pausing to listen before moving on again.

"Isn't this exciting?" Alice whispered, gripping Cassie's elbow as she grinned. "The castle is so different at night! Why have we never done this before?"

"Because up until now we had managed to retain our sanity," she said drily, and she thought she heard the faintest snort from behind her, but decided she had imagined it, as nobody else was there.

"We're so going to win," Alice said smugly. "I can feel it, Cass; tonight is our lucky night!"

"Don't get too cocky," she warned. "We're only on the sixth floor."

"I wonder how many Hufflepuffs know about the kitchens," the other girl mused, ignoring her, and Cassie rolled her eyes. She was trying to be alert for anything that would tell her someone was coming, but Alice's rambling was making it hard for her to listen. "I mean, the hint said that not many may know – but then how do the Marauders know?"

Cassie shrugged, choosing not to comment, but internally groaned when Alice kept talking.

"Oh well, Hufflepuffs are an odd bunch," she said, waving a hand. "I still can't believe you went out with that one in third year – what was his name? David O'Leary?"

Cassie made a startled gagging noise. "Alice! You promised you would never bring that up again!"

"Did I?" she mused, unaware of Cassie's burning face, and she fought down the urge to strangle the other girl as she went on. "I mean, he wasn't _so_ bad. Kind of cute, kind of sweet. Whatever happened between you two, anyway?"

Cassie swallowed, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. "My brother happened."

Alice's glee immediately shut down. "Oh, Cassie I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry about it," she mumbled, and the two lapsed into an awkward silence as they made it to the fifth floor, still no sign of anyone.

"You know, I never asked…" she started, and Cassie braced herself for what was coming. "But, um, how are you handling it? Your brother, your parents…everything?"

Cassie shrugged, scratching her wand arm with her free hand, enjoying the distraction, however small.

"I'm not sure, really," she said slowly. "Last year, it was easy to pretend everything was still normal, I guess. Besides the rumors and all that, I could just imagine he was traveling abroad, like everyone else does when they graduate, but when he kept making it into the papers, every article talking about his activism in this anti-Muggle cause…it was getting harder. By the time we got home this summer…I didn't know who he was anymore."

Cassie didn't know why she was talking about this. She hadn't even admitted this much to Remus when they had spoken earlier, but for some reason, being alone with her friend, in a dark and empty corridor, with no one else around to hear, made it easier to say aloud. All the uncertainty, all the fear of judgment had somehow disappeared, and in this moment, she felt free enough to speak.

"My parents couldn't be prouder, though," she said, her lips curling upwards in a bitter sort of smile as she recalled their goodbyes to William. "My mum thinks he's a hero, and my father…"

She trailed off, her chest suddenly feeling tight. "Well, he accused me of being a blood traitor when he found out I didn't support You-Know-Who, or my brother, so it's clear where he stands on the matter."

Alice stared at her, appalled. "He called you a blood traitor?"

"Yep," she said casually, shrugging. "Not that I'm surprised, really; he always liked Will better. I think he was just looking for a reason to finally prove that."

"Cassie, I'm…" Alice trailed off, not knowing what to say, and Cassie waved her hand dismissively.

"It's nothing to be bothered over," she said. "He won't disown me or anything. Mum would kill him if he tried."

"Still," she insisted. "I had no idea, Cass. I'm so sorry."

"It's my life," she replied simply. "Granted, it's pretty awful when you look at it from the outside, but things happen, you know? No use crying over it."

They fell back into a stifling silence, walking along the third-floor corridor, still oblivious to the four invisible boys trailing behind them, each one frowning and looking quite uncomfortable, until James called for a halt.

Waiting until the two girls had walked far enough ahead, he whipped off the cloak and turned to face the other three, his face set into an uncharacteristic frown.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, unnecessarily, as all of them had heard the conversation. "She stands up to her father, and in return, he calls her a blood traitor. _A blood traitor."_

He ran a hand through his hair, looking agitated. They all knew that 'blood traitor' was a term that struck a nerve within James, as his family had been accused of the same thing when they spoke against the pro-pureblood cause, despite being a pureblood family themselves. He shook his head, before his hazel eyes traveled to Remus.

"I get what you said now," he said seriously, when Remus looked back to him in surprise. "About understanding what she's going through. I…" He let out a large breath, shaking his head again and pushing his glasses further up his nose. "She shouldn't have to go through that, for believing in what's right."

Peter nodded mutely, his eyes following the retreating light of Cassie's wand.

Remus stared back at James, his green eyes solemn. "She needs allies," he reiterated, and James nodded, before his gaze flicked to Sirius.

The dark-haired boy looked ashen, his grey eyes staring, unseeing, and James put a bracing hand on his shoulder. "Pads, you all right?"

"My father told me the same thing," he mumbled, so quietly that James wondered if he was talking to himself. "He's called me a blood traitor, too."

James shook his shoulder slightly. "Sirius."

He finally looked to James, his face carefully sliding back into the blank mask he wore whenever he wanted to hide his true feelings, and James pretended not to notice, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "You good?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. Let's just get this over with."

James threw the cloak back over them again, and they hurried to catch up to the two girls, who were now on the second floor.

"So, what should we do in Hogsmeade next weekend?" Alice said, breaking the silence with some hesitation, though Cassie appreciated her effort to get things back to normal.

She lifted her shoulders in a noncommittal gesture, suddenly remembering her brother and her promise to meet him, and she racked her brain to think up a response.

"Oh, erm…" Alice was looking to her expectantly, and Cassie blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not going."

Alice stared at her like she had just announced plans to marry the giant squid. "Cassie, you love Hogsmeade! Why on earth would you not go?"

Cassie scratched her arm again. "Well, it's just been really stressful lately, with all the O.W.L stuff, and I thought I could use the down time to catch up on all my work."

Alice shrugged, though she didn't look convinced. "Okay, whatever. I'll bring you back some Sugar Quills, yeah?"

"You'd be the best friend ever," Cassie sang, nudging the other girl's shoulder, but a sudden scuffling noise made her stop.

"Did you hear that?" she whispered, whirling around, but Alice shook her head. "No. What was it?"

Cassie swept the light from her wand down the corridor, but there was nothing there but shadows. Some portraits on the wall grumbled and shifted when her light hit their pictures, and a group of knights sitting at a round table cursed at her, telling her to turn the light off, but she ignored them, her skin prickling with the feeling of being watched.

After searching for a few more minutes and finding nothing, she grabbed Alice's elbow and hurried down the corridor, her friend in tow.

"C'mon," she whispered. "We're over halfway there; let's just finish this stupid thing and get back to bed."

As they disappeared down the corridor, James slapped Peter on the back of the head.

"Ow!" the other boy complained, rubbing his head. "Seriously, Prongs? I just had to sneeze!"

"And you almost blew our cover!" James retorted. "Keep it in next time, would you?"

"Forgive me for following my own bodily functions," Peter said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Shut it, both of you," Sirius said irritably. "We're wasting time."

He waited for Remus to agree with him, but when he didn't, he frowned at the other boy. "All right, Moony?"

Remus looked up, blinking, his expression distant and thoughtful, and Sirius noticed a frown tugging at his lips.

He nodded to Sirius' question. "Yeah. We should really get moving."

He led the way under the cloak, and the others fell in step, but Sirius found himself casting suspicious looks at his friend, wondering what Remus wasn't telling them.

After what felt like an eternity, the two girls made it to the ground floor, the Great Hall yawning before them, but Alice tugged on Cassie's arm and silently pointed out the staircase she was talking about earlier.

They started down it, and Cassie was surprised to find that the air was turning warmer and sweeter the further they descended, nothing like the cold mustiness of the dungeons she had come to associate the underground with.

They emerged into a short hallway, where a stack of large barrels sat on the right-hand side of the corridor, the only other decoration being a still life painting of a bowl of fruit, which Cassie stared blankly at.

"Read the hint again," she instructed Alice, and the other girl complied, removing the parchment from her pocket and holding it up to the wandlight to read it.

 _"Pears are the most ticklish of fruits. Wonder how many Hufflepuffs know the secret to get their loots?"_ she read, before pouting. "I don't understand! I thought this would be the best place to find it."

"Maybe it is," Cassie said, studying the painting of the fruit and walking closer to it, her wand illuminating what appeared to be a pear sitting amongst the other fruits.

 _"Pears are the most ticklish of fruits…"_ she repeated. Then, feeling utterly absurd, she reached out and tickled the pear in the painting.

"Um, Cassie, what are you doing?" Alice asked, but she didn't answer, as the pear suddenly let out a shrill giggle and morphed into a green doorknob. Alice looked gobsmacked.

"After you," Cassie said, gesturing to the doorknob, and Alice reached out hesitantly, still looking highly skeptical, but turned the doorknob, allowing the picture to open and revealing a hole in the wall, much like the portrait hole to Gryffindor Tower.

Casting her a nervous glance, she climbed inside, Cassie following behind, and soon they were deposited into a very warm and bright room, their jaws dropping at what they saw.

The room they had entered was gigantic, with a high ceiling and five large tables lined up in front of a huge brick fireplace, set in the exact positions as the tables in the Great Hall above. Gleaming brass pots and pans lined the walls, and Cassie was blown away by the sheer size of the place, though it still managed to be quite cozy and cheerful.

"Hello, hello!" A tiny, breathy voice greeted, and they looked down to see about a dozen house-elves scurrying towards them. Cassie expected them to be angry at their intrusion, or at the least bit alarmed, but the house-elves looked ecstatic at their presence, and she saw that the ones who weren't rushing towards them were cooking by the fireplace, whistling merrily and working dutifully as others disappeared with loud cracks, off to tend to the dormitories, or something like it, she assumed.

"Greetings, young Misses!" One house-elf said, bowing deeply, and the others followed suit. Alice looked overwhelmed, and Cassie gave her elbow a reassuring squeeze; her family had a house-elf back at the estate, by the name of Liddy, so she wasn't as shocked as the other girl when the house-elves looked up to them with huge, shining eyes.

The one who had spoken had the largest eyes of them all, a protuberant brown that matched the simple cloth toga he wore, and Cassie grinned when he spoke in a shrill, reedy voice.

"I am Pandy, young Misses, at your service!" he squeaked, and Alice gave him a nervous smile.

"Er…hello," she said. "I'm Alice; this is my friend, Cassie."

"Pleased to meet you, Mistress Alice!" Pandy trilled, giving her a deep bow before turning to Cassie and bowing again. "And you, Mistress Alice's friend, Mistress Cassie!"

"Likewise, Pandy," Cassie said, waving at the other congregated house-elves, and they positively squealed when she acknowledged them. "Hope we aren't disturbing you."

"Not at all, not at all!" Pandy said, ushering them in deeper to the kitchens. "What do you need, Mistress Cassie, Mistress Alice? Name it, and Pandy will be sure to provide it!"

Cassie looked to Alice, motioning for her to speak. Still looking quite nervous, especially with the way Pandy and the other house-elves were staring at her adoringly, she said, "Erm, well…there's this task, you see, and we were wondering if, um, you'd be willing to, ah…make us a lemon meringue pie? If it's too much of a hassle, don't worry about it, we can just—"

"'Tis no trouble, Mistress Alice!" Pandy squeaked, as several house-elves immediately dashed off to fulfill Alice's request. "Take a seat, have some tea and biscuits! We will have your pie ready in a jiffy!"

They took a seat at what would be the Gryffindor table, two house-elves already bustling over with the tea and a platter of biscuits, setting them down with bows before hurrying away again as Pandy went to join the other baking elves.

Alice looked around in awe. "This is incredible," she said, taking a sip of her tea and grinning giddily. "I can't believe we actually did this!"

"No kidding," Cassie said, biting into her biscuit and sighing blissfully.

"Frank is going to freak when I tell him," she said, and Cassie gave her a knowing smirk.

"Maybe you should bring him here one night," she suggested. "Make it an impressionable first date."

She winked, and Alice blushed, sipping her tea instead of replying, though Cassie could tell she was smiling.

It seemed like no time had passed before Pandy had rushed back over with three other house-elves, a large lemon meringue pie hefted in their tiny arms, and Cassie's mouth nearly started to water at how delicious it looked.

"Lemon meringue pie, as Mistress Alice requested!" he announced, as more house-elves arrived with plates and forks and napkins for the two girls.

"Thank you, Pandy," Cassie said. "It looks wonderful."

The house-elves nearly started to glow from her praise.

"'Twas our pleasure, Mistress Cassie!" he said, bowing low, and the others followed suit as Alice scooped one slice on to a plate. "Please come again!"

"You can bet on that," Cassie said, as she and Alice took two bites from the pie, Cassie immediately swooping in for the third before Alice could and smiling smugly at her.

The house-elves followed them to the door, Alice cradling the slice that was proof of her completion of the task and Cassie holding the rest of the freshly baked pie, bidding many farewells to the house-elves before the portrait closed behind them, leaving them in the Hufflepuff Basement.

Cassie couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I think I finally know what heaven is like, Al."

Alice snorted as they began to climb the staircase back to the ground floor. "Of course your heaven would consist of _food_ , Cass."

"Food is the only constant thing in my life," she retorted teasingly. "In fact, I'd marry it if I could—"

They were interrupted by a loud meow from above, and they froze, peering to the top of the staircase where a mangy cat with glowing red eyes stared down at them, unblinking and unmoving.

"Oh, Merlin!" Alice whispered fearfully. "It's Mrs. Norris!"

Cassie nodded slowly, swallowing down the lump in her throat. "Which means Filch isn't far behind."

At the mention of the caretaker, Mrs. Norris swished away, letting out another croaky meow, and Cassie seized Alice's elbow.

"Take the pie, and run for the common room!" she hissed, gesturing to the plate in Alice's hands and hoping she would never have to repeat that sentence again.

"What about you?" Alice whispered frantically, and Cassie held her breath, steeling herself for her next statement.

"I'll distract Filch," she said, speaking over Alice's hushed protests. "Don't argue with me, Al! You have to win. Do it for Frank."

"Damn Longbottom!" she snapped. "I'm not leaving you to get caught by Filch!"

"I'm not giving you a choice!" Cassie growled, and her voice made Alice pause, looking between her and the staircase uncertainly. She gave her a tiny push, mouthing _Go!_

"You are _so_ going to pay for this!" Alice hissed, before whisking out of sight, and Cassie heard her fleeing footsteps ascend the stairs as she looked down to the rest of the pie still in her hands.

 _Definitely should've thought about this a bit more,_ she thought to herself, loath to let it go after the house-elves had made it for them. As shuffling footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard, however, she knew her capture was inevitable at this point, and having a pie wasn't going to make that much of a difference. Squaring her shoulders, she emerged from the staircase, and Filch instantly pounced on her.

"You!" he shouted, pointing, and Cassie stopped, her heart pounding as Filch hobbled over, a lantern swinging in his hand and his grizzled face alight with a delighted grin. "Student out of bed! What a lovely night indeed, my sweet!"

It took Cassie a moment to register that he was speaking to his cat, who was winding around his ankles and letting out rusty purrs as those red eyes bored into Cassie, and she made a face as Filch came closer, shining his lantern into her face.

"What were ye doing out of bed, girl?" he said, almost gleefully, and Cassie shuffled her feet.

"Er, I was…on my way…to the hospital wing," she lied, wishing she wasn't holding a whole pie in her hands as Filch looked down to it, grinning nastily.

"After stealing pie from the kitchens? I don't think so, little girl," he said, and Cassie swallowed nervously.

"I didn't steal it!" she protested. "It's for…medical reasons."

"Oh?" Filch looked unimpressed, but Cassie was desperate.

"You know, for that… _time of the month?"_ She gazed at Filch imploringly, and he paused, his jowls quivering as he tried to put two and two together.

Mrs. Norris meowed again, startling Cassie, but it seemed Filch could communicate with his cat on a strange level, for he immediately scowled and gripped Cassie's upper arm tightly.

"Nice try, missy," he sneered, before dragging her off down a side corridor, her heart sinking. "But you're not going to get out of this mess so easily."

He led her down a series of passageways, Cassie feeling nauseous the whole time as she imagined what her parents would think. Throwing a quill was one thing, but being caught sneaking out of the kitchens after hours was something else entirely. She doubted she would live long enough to see her O.W.L exams.

Filch led her to a tiny office that resembled a broom cupboard, or possibly a medieval torture chamber, as she noticed the rusty chains hanging from the wall. The caretaker shoved her roughly into a chair, the pie still in her hands, and he smiled grimly at her notice of the chains.

"A shame we aren't allowed to properly punish students anymore," he said, sitting down behind a shabby desk and pulling out parchment and ink, a quill poised in his hand. "Those were the golden days, when nasty little brats like you got to hang from the ceiling by their toes if they were caught roaming the castle after hours. Golden days indeed…"

He trailed off as he began to scribble a report, and all Cassie could do was sit there, her hands sweating as she watched the quill write. She jumped when something wiry brushed her leg, and she looked down to see Mrs. Norris gazing up at her, suddenly feeling the strong urge to give her a sound kick. She loved cats, but Mrs. Norris seemed to be something else entirely.

The pie was growing heavier with each passing minute, and she sorely wanted to ask Filch how much longer this would take. Her adrenaline had worn off some time ago, and now all she wanted to do was go to sleep, the novelty at having been caught by the caretaker gone.

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, there was a very loud _CRASH_ from above, and dust floated down from the ceiling as her and Filch both looked up in shock. It sounded as if someone had dropped a grand piano on the floor above them, and Filch's face instantly turned purple with rage as more crashes could be heard.

"PEEVES!" Filch bellowed, making Cassie jump in her seat and almost sending the pie toppling to the floor, though she caught it before that could happen, thankfully.

Filch was breathing heavily, his jowls quivering, and he swept up the lantern perched on the edge of his desk, rushing out of the room without a second look at Cassie, Mrs. Norris streaking past him.

Cassie was left alone in Filch's office, baffled and quite unsure of what to do as the crashes continued to echo above her. She thought about swiping the report and making a run for it, but fear of the repercussions kept her glued to her seat, though her heart was fluttering like mad, her mind whispering that she could do it, that this was her only chance.

Gulping nervously, she stood up and grabbed the report with her free hand, disgruntled to see that he had spelled her name completely wrong: _Casseopeea Adlerfare._

 _You'd think that with having a Death Eater for a brother people would actually know your name_ , _but apparently not._

She had just crumpled the paper into a ball and shoved it into her pocket when a sudden voice hissed, "Alderfair!"

Cassie spun toward the door, raising her wand in her non-pie-holding hand, pausing when she didn't see anything. Confused, she took a step forward, but nearly tripped over the chair when Sirius Black's head appeared _out of thin air._

"Bloody hell!" she yelped, clutching the pie tightly when the dark-haired boy's head shot her an exasperated glare.

"Stop yelling," he snapped. "Filch'll be back any minute, and I was given the lovely task of rescuing you. So shut it and get under here."

"Why are you invisible?" she asked, uncomprehending, and Black rolled his eyes, his arm materializing as well and pulling her under the cover of something soft and lightweight.

She saw the faint outline of a silvery cloak above her head, and she gaped when she realized what it must be. "Is this…an Invisibility Cloak?"

"No, it's just a blanket that happens to be invisible," he said sarcastically, and Cassie turned to glare at him, though she probably didn't look that threatening considering she was holding a lemon meringue pie.

"Sorry for asking, Your Highness," she sneered, causing him to roll his eyes again.

"Will you please just come on so we can get out of here?" he asked, and Cassie gestured to the door. "Lead the way, my knight in shining armor."

He grumbled something under his breath she didn't catch, though she doubted it was flattering as she stowed away her wand and followed after the boy, her excitement kicking back in when she realized that she was _invisible._ How bloody cool was _that?_

The two crept out of Filch's office and found themselves on the first floor of the castle, narrowly avoiding the caretaker himself as he stormed past them, his face blotchy and red with rage, practically spitting as he spoke.

"Just you wait, my sweet," he was ranting to his cat, as he disappeared down the corridor, Mrs. Norris casting the hidden two a look that told Cassie the feline wasn't fooled by the cloak, and she shivered uneasily. "One day, Peeves will get what's coming to him…oh, yes…"

He disappeared down the passageway to his office, and Cassie felt a tug on her elbow.

"C'mon," Black said. "I'd rather not witness his temper tantrum when he finds out you've gone."

Cassie shuddered, grimacing. "Agreed."

They moved quickly down the corridor, heading for the second floor, not bothering to keep quiet when they were already hidden so well. They didn't speak, though Cassie found it was becoming very hot under the cloak, their heavy breathing and proximity not offering much of a reprieve from the stuffy air. Her skin began to prickle, as well, as the reality of her situation set in; she was trapped under an Invisibility Cloak with Sirius Black, of all people, who had just rescued her from the clutches of Filch. She was acutely aware of his sleeve brushing her arm every once in a while, or her foot accidentally kicking the back of his shoe as they walked, and she begged to be back in the common room, tucked away up in her dormitory and sleeping soundly instead of wandering the castle at night with Black.

When they made it to the sixth floor, he deemed it safe enough to remove the cloak, and Cassie nearly got herself tangled in it as she flung it off, desperate to not be under there anymore with him as he folded it neatly across his arm, the silvery material glinting in the light he cast from his wand.

Cassie hefted the pie in her arms again, her muscles sore at how long she had been holding it, and Black cast her a sideways glance when she let out a small breath of discomfort.

"You know, the challenge was to get _one_ slice of pie, not the whole thing," he said snidely, and she huffed in annoyance, wishing he wouldn't speak.

"Alice was the one to do the task, so she has the one slice," she said irritably, and Black nodded, clearly uninterested.

They lapsed into another silence, and she openly sighed when he made to speak again, which led him to smirk at her in an infuriating way.

"You're welcome, by the way," he said smugly, and Cassie gave him a sidelong glance, not replying.

He sighed. "Usually a 'thank you' would suffice."

"You'll get my thanks when you earn it," she said coolly, and he raised his dark brows at her.

"I just saved your skin back there," he reminded her, none too modestly. "You owe me."

"No, I don't, Black," she said. "You didn't do that of your own volition – Remus told you to do it, didn't he?"

She glared at him challengingly, as if daring him to lie, and as much as he hated to admit it, Sirius knew she was right.

"He may have mentioned it in passing," he hinted, and she scoffed, shaking her head.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, and Sirius had to refrain himself from making some scathing comment, deciding that picking a fight with Cassie Alderfair wouldn't be worth it. Even just walking beside her was making him highly uncomfortable, and his mind kept jumping back and forth between the idea of her brother being a Death Eater, and earlier, when she had told Alice Fortescue that her father had labeled her a blood traitor. It was enough to drive him up the wall, and he felt a great sense of relief when they made it to the seventh-floor corridor and the portrait of the Fat Lady came into view.

"I was wondering why you weren't with your friends this time around," she said sternly, when Cassie and Sirius approached her, and Sirius guessed the others must have woken her up when they returned. "You lot are going to keep me up all night at this rate."

Sirius gave her a charming smile. "We're the last of the night, so don't wait up once we've gone in."

The Fat Lady sniffed. "I should change the password just for that."

"Ah, but you won't," Sirius said, winking. "You're far too gracious for that sort of thing."

She rolled her eyes, though he knew he had gotten to her, as she now turned her gaze on the girl next to him.

"I haven't seen you out after dark before," she noted with faint surprise, and Cassie grimaced when she went on. "Watch out for this one here," she said, nodding to Sirius. "Trouble likes to follow him wherever he goes."

"I got that much, thanks," Cassie said, her face flushing when she saw the arrogant smirk Black tossed in her direction. "May we go in now, please?"

"Oh, fine," the Fat Lady huffed. "Password?"

"Doxie," the two said in unison, and both of them made faces as the portrait swung open, and they were allowed entrance into the common room.

"Blimey, _there_ you are!" Potter exclaimed when he saw them, and he grinned broadly from where he was sprawled across an armchair. "We thought you two got caught!"

Black scoffed. "As if that would ever happen to me."

"Is that a pie?" Pettigrew asked, staring at Cassie with a sort of admiration in his gaze, and she looked down, suddenly remembering the dessert in her hands.

"Er, yeah, it is," she said, frowning. "Dunno why I still have it, really."

Remus snorted, shaking his head. "Only you could make it out of punishment completely unscathed – with a _pie,_ no less."

Cassie shrugged. "Honor before duty, I guess." She suddenly frowned, looking around at them all as she realized something. "Um, were you the ones to…do that thing, above Filch's office earlier?"

Potter grinned arrogantly. "Of course that was us, princess. How else d'you think Sirius was able to get you out of there?"

Feeling very awkward and uncomfortable all of a sudden, she dipped her head, looking down at her feet as her hair swung forward to cover her undoubtedly red face.

"You didn't have to do that," she mumbled. "I don't even know why you would help me, anyway."

Remus scoffed. "Because we were trying to look out for you, idiot," he said, though his voice was kind. "We couldn't let you get caught by Filch."

"But wasn't that the point of the game?" she asked, confused. "Get other students in trouble so you all don't?"

Potter tsked, shaking his head regretfully. "What Moony here is trying to get at, but failing miserably at doing so, is that we're your allies now, Alderfair, whether you like it or not."

Cassie blinked, startled. "My what?"

She could feel the power of all of their eye rolls slamming into her at once.

"Your allies," Remus repeated patiently. "We have your back, just like you'll have ours soon."

"That's very assumptive," she remarked, raising a skeptical brow. "Who says I'll be looking out for you?"

"Because you're in our debt now," Pettigrew said sweetly, smiling at her. "We got you in trouble with Binns, but we got you out with Filch. So now you don't have a choice in being our ally, because you owe us. Big time."

Cassie stared at the mousy boy, making a mental note never to cross Peter Pettigrew in that moment; he was a crafty one, for sure.

She looked between all of their smug expressions, a sense of deep foreboding building in her chest as she realized that she _did_ owe them. The Marauders, the most infamous group of pranksters in all the school, did not have to take notice of her, much less help her out of deep trouble, but they had. For some reason, these four boys had decided that she was worth allying themselves with, and she found herself speechless, wondering if she had suddenly woken up in an alternate reality, where people actually tried to befriend her instead of whispering about her brother and steering clear. It was…unsettling, but at the same time, she wasn't necessarily certain that it was a bad thing.

On impulse, she held out the pie, finding it very hard to look any of them in the eye during that moment as she cleared her throat.

"Um, I accept your alliance, with this…pie," she said hesitantly. "I don't really know why I'm offering this, but think of it as my word, I guess."

"Offer accepted," Potter said, taking the pie from her grasp and giving her a small nod, that perpetual smirk still stuck to his face. "We now have an alliance, Cassie Alderfair."

"And you can tell Alice that she won her task," Remus added. "We'll have her prize ready tomorrow morning."

Cassie nodded. "Will do."

There was a slight pause, until Potter stretched dramatically, yawning and handing the pie off to Pettigrew.

"Well, while it's been a fun night and all, I'm going to hit the sack," he said, gesturing upstairs, and the rest of them muttered in agreement. "'Night, Alderfair. See you tomorrow."

He gave her a cheeky wink, and Cassie returned it with a small wave. "'Night."

Pettigrew and Remus said their own farewells, trudging up the boys' staircase after Potter, and leaving her alone with Black.

Not even acknowledging her, he started after them, but Cassie was suddenly seized by a strange urge to say something to him.

"Black," she called, and for a moment she thought he wasn't going to stop, but he did, turning to look at her with a blank mask settled over his face, his brows arched.

"Er, thanks," she said lamely. "For, ah, you know…"

She trailed off, rubbing her arms, and he stared at her for a long moment before saying anything.

"Don't mention it," he replied, though it wasn't dismissive; it was thoughtful, calculating, as if he were determining the best way to figure her out.

Self-conscious now under his scrutinizing look, she gave him a jerky nod, starting up her own staircase to her dormitory and trying not to freak over everything that had happened that night.

Sirius stayed at the foot of the stairs for a long time after she went up, unaware of the many things that would be set in motion just from the simplicity of one action.

The largest of ripples, however, begins with the smallest of pebbles. And that fateful night just so happened to be the pebble to start it all.

* * *

 **Please review! Every word is wonderful to read from you all!**

 **I'm excited for the next chapter, if only because the plot thickens...and Hogsmeade. Gotta love Hogsmeade.**

 **Next Chapter: _The Clockwork Locket_**

 **xx**


	10. The Clockwork Locket

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **This chapter was a menace to write. I honestly didn't expect it to get so big, but granted, it IS the titular one, so it's gotta be important, right? Right.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: ChizomenoHime, gr8rockstarrox, heroherondaletotherescue, wickedgrl123, Bleeding Blue Kunoichi, Les Spring Hamilton, MSQUEEN21, and Guest! You are all so amazing!**

 ***Note: In chapter 8, Cassie's reply to her brother said to meet at 3:00, but for plot purposes, the time was changed to 11:00 in this chapter***

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Clockwork Locket

The Friday before the Hogsmeade trip was met with many grumbles and complaints when students awoke to find themselves finally embracing the oncoming winter. The grounds had frozen over sometime in the night, though no snow had fallen, and the sky was a chilly grey that matched the surface of the Black Lake.

Cassie, in particular, was none too thrilled by the colder weather. Winter had always been her least favorite season ever since she could remember; the lack of colors and the perpetual cold put her off from it, though she would concede the points of Christmas and the brief holiday away from school. Thinking about what she was going to do over the break when she had to go back home was too stressful to think about, however, so it was with a heavy resign that she forced herself to get out of her warm bed and face the day.

"Has anyone seen my scarf?" Marlene whined, shoving aside the pile of clothes she had been looking through and flopping on her bed, sighing. "I can't find it _anywhere."_

"Is it the one you're lying on top of?" Lily asked, pointing, and the blonde girl shifted so the red and gold striped scarf was revealed underneath her.

"What would I do without you, Lils?" she said gratefully, and the red-haired girl just smiled.

"Drive yourself insane because you'd have no one to talk about your crushes with?" she suggested, and Marlene scoffed.

"Don't be silly," she said. "Cassie and Alice would listen to my boy talk, right?"

She turned to the other two girls, beaming, and they both responded, "No," in unison.

Marlene huffed. "C'mon, it's not _that_ bad."

"Mar, you're on to a new guy every week," Alice said, rolling her eyes, but her voice was playful. "It's a little hard to keep up with your 'boy talk.'"

She frowned. "That's not true."

"Not this year, so far," Lily chimed in, before tossing the other girls a secretive smile. "She's only been able to talk about one."

Marlene flushed. _"Lily!"_

"What?" Alice squawked, upending part of her trunk's contents in her surprise as she stared at the furiously blushing Marlene. "Who is it?"

Before she had a chance to reply, Lily suddenly let out a small gasp, pointing an accusing finger at Alice. "What is _that?"_

They all turned to see her staring at something that had fallen out of Alice's trunk, and Cassie blanched when she saw it. The prize Alice had won from the Marauders was displayed proudly atop a pile of her socks, a bundle of Honeydukes sweets with a note pinned to it in familiar bright green ink: _Congratulations on winning your task! Please enjoy a complimentary package of Honeydukes' finest to celebrate your victory (and don't forget to flaunt your newfound flair for rule-breaking to one Frank Longbottom). Signed, James P., Sirius B., Remus L., and Peter P._

Lily looked as if she had swallowed a lemon as Alice began to splutter.

"I didn't – it isn't – Cassie did it, too!" she cried, and Cassie turned on her, affronted.

"Way to throw me to the wolves!" she said in exasperation, and Alice gave her a look that clearly read, _if I'm going down you're coming with me._

Lily only frowned, her pretty heart-shaped features creasing as she looked between the two girls and the sweets. "You actually played that silly game Potter and his idiot friends came up with?"

"They're not all idiots," Cassie protested, thinking of Remus, and she rolled her eyes when Lily gave her an unimpressed look. "Okay, yeah, maybe they are sometimes, but it was just a bit of fun, Lily. You're not going to throw us in detention just because we participated, are you?"

Lily sighed, rubbing her forehead, and Cassie knew she was about to start channeling her inner Prefect.

"I understand it's just a game," she said, her gaze beseeching them. "But think of what would have happened had you been caught by Filch! Alice, you're not a troublemaker, and Cassie, what you did was a huge risk if you're worried about your parents finding out. I'm not going to give you detentions, but I think you two should be a bit more careful, especially when those _Marauders_ are involved."

Her face soured at this last part, and the two girls nodded, feeling as if Professor McGonagall had given them a stern talking-to, though this rant was a lot shorter and a lot quieter than what the strict witch would have said.

"Love you both," she said gently, though her emerald eyes flashed them a last warning look as she grabbed her bag. "We'll see you down at breakfast."

Cassie and Alice mumbled goodbyes as she and Marlene departed the dormitory, and Alice exhaled a large breath when the door closed behind them.

"She's scarier than my mother, that one," she said, grudgingly hiding her prize in her trunk again, and Cassie nodded, pulling on her robes and fiddling with the silver fastenings as she stared into space, thinking.

A few silent minutes passed as they finished getting ready, and Cassie couldn't help but to feel just a little bit frustrated at the situation. Lily's disappointment bothered her, but she couldn't exactly explain why. She wondered if it had anything to do with the Marauders, and their newfound alliance, but she shied away from that thought, still unsure of how she felt about it.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask you…" Alice said, pulling her out of her musings, and Cassie looked to the round-faced girl, arching her brows. "But what happened that night after I left? Did Filch catch you?"

Cassie snorted, though she averted her eyes awkwardly. "If Filch had caught me, I would have a month's detentions under my belt," she pointed out, and Alice looked dubious.

"I was just wondering," she said hastily. "You just took a really long time getting back, is all."

Cassie gave a noncommittal shrug. "I had to take a bunch of back ways to avoid Filch," was all she said. "It took a bit longer than I expected, but it worked, right?"

"Right." Alice still looked suspicious, but she didn't press the matter further. "Want me to wait for you?"

"You go ahead," she said, waving a hand. "I still have to do some things."

Alice nodded, then left without another word, and Cassie only sighed, heading into the washroom to finish getting ready.

She let her mind wander as she washed her face and brushed her teeth, and her thoughts turned in the unbidden direction of the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow, and the subsequent meeting with her brother. Even just thinking about it made her stomach turn, and when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she thought her face was just the tiniest tinge of green. She was very tempted now to call the whole thing off, or not even bother showing up, but the temptation of talking some sense into her brother was enough to keep her on the right track. And maybe – though she would deny it to anyone who asked – she still had some hope that her brother could be swayed back to the right side, that he wasn't so far gone.

Raking her hair out of her face, she retrieved her bag from the floor next to her bed and headed to breakfast, determined not to stress about the whole ordeal until tomorrow, and just get through that day.

She emerged from the girls' staircase just as Remus emerged from the boys', and they both started in surprise and made their way towards each other across the common room.

"Morning, Cassie," he said, trying for a smile, though it came out wan and bleak, which confused her. Peering at him more closely, however, she could see that he wasn't looking very well at all; his cheekbones were sunken in, and his skin was pale and clammy, his eyes bruised with dark shadows underneath and appearing duller, more muted than normal.

"Hey, Remus," she returned, frowning. "You're looking a bit peaky this morning. Are you feeling well?"

He let out a chuckle, though it sounded as if it pained him. "No, I feel like shite actually," he said, and she noticed that the scars on his face – which she could usually gloss over – stood out whiter than they had before, and she put a hand up to his forehead.

"Remus, you're _blazing,"_ she said in surprise, his sticky skin warm to her touch, and he grimaced, pulling away from her.

"Just a stomach bug," he mumbled, sounding uncomfortable. "It'll pass in a day or so."

"You should see Madam Pomfrey," she said, and her concern was reminding her far too much of her mother, which made her cringe. Remus only nodded.

"I'll probably go later, if it gets any worse," he said, scratching his cheek, and she nodded, satisfied with his answer.

"You better," she warned. "Or I'll march you down there myself."

He smiled weakly, rolling his eyes. "Whatever you say, Mum."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Where are your mates?"

"Still getting ready," he said, jerking his chin towards the stairs. "They like to spend ages making themselves seem 'cool' – you know, that whole 'trying-not-to-look-put-together-but-not-like-a-slob' image?"

Cassie snorted. "Merlin, they're worse than Mar." She shook her head in incredulity. "How long does that take?"

"More than you'd think." He smirked when she made a horrified face. "So I'd suggest we go down now before we miss breakfast entirely."

"Agreed," she said, before biting her lip. "I was, um, hoping we could talk, as well."

He looked to her curiously, leading the way out of the common room. "What about?"

They climbed through the portrait hole and walked down the seventh-floor corridor together while Cassie gathered her thoughts, Remus waiting patiently beside her. She wasn't immune to the stares and whispers that were beginning to crop up, with her walking next to a known Marauder, but she did her best to ignore them, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously as she spoke.

"I guess I'm just really anxious about tomorrow," she admitted. "I know I was the one who agreed to meet him, but Remus…what if something happened since the last time I saw him? What if he's not the same person who left in June, and he's…darker? What am I supposed to do then?"

"Cassie," he said softly. "I don't know what it's like to be in your position, and I'm not going to pretend like I do, but I think the best thing you can do about tomorrow is to remember that despite everything, he's your brother. And from the way you talk about him, I assume the both of you were very close, and that kind of bond doesn't fade so easily. You said it yourself the other day: you need to give him a chance. And I believe that this is it, your chance. You should take it, whatever it comes out to be."

Cassie stared at him for so long he began to look slightly uncomfortable. "Er, Cassie?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't talk. I'm trying to determine if you're wise from being an immortal or if you just read really sappy Muggle novels."

He snorted. "No to either option, I'm afraid."

"Then what species are you?" she pressed. He faltered slightly in his steps at this, and looked whiter, but she dismissed it as his stomach bug as she waited for an answer.

"You know, I could just be a sensitive soul, longing for someone to comfort," he said, making puppy-dog eyes at her as he launched into a monologue. "How my heart yearns to comfort when I see a lonely young maiden to impart my wisdom upon, and thus woo her to accept my hand in marriage—"

"All right, all right, enough!" she said, laughing. "I'll leave it alone. You're a sensitive soul, Remus, I get it."

He chuckled, slinging an arm around her shoulders as if it were second nature, and it might've been, she realized as she stiffened automatically at the unexpected touch. How many times had she seen the Marauders walk down the corridors and out on the grounds, looking exactly like this? Arm in arm, laughing at something only they knew, like it was just them four, living in an inhabited world, though they were the rulers of it?

She wanted to shrink away – no, she _needed_ to shrink away, if she were to have any chance of regaining her invisibility status – but they were already walking into the Great Hall, and she sensed that Remus may be holding on to her for another reason as a flicker of pain marred his mirthful features for a moment before it was gone.

As they made their way to the Gryffindor table, Remus still with an arm around her shoulders, she was aware of the looks being cast in her direction, and though she couldn't hear specifics, she could guess well enough what the sudden buzz of whispers and murmurs were aimed at.

Fighting to keep the red from her face, she ducked her head, letting her hair fall forward, before she felt a tug on one of her locks.

"Why do you do that?" Remus asked, gazing down at her as his fingers played absentmindedly with her hair, and she pretended not to understand. "Do what?"

"Try not to be seen," he said. "You act as if you try hard enough, then no one will notice you."

This time she couldn't help her face flushing. "I've always done that," she admitted, feeling somewhat self-conscious under the scrutiny of his gaze. "I've…never been involved much, in school, or friends outside of Lily, Marlene, and Alice, anything really. And last year, when news spread about my brother, I tried so hard to become invisible, to escape all the stares, and the rumors, and people asking questions I couldn't answer. I just wanted to be nobody again."

Her face heated even more at this confession, and she cursed whatever it was that made Remus Lupin so easy to talk to. At this rate, she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in his dormitory while they painted their nails and talked about her crushes (not that she had any at the moment, but still. A very real possibility).

"I get that," he said, and his tone convinced her that he definitely knew what she meant, which surprised her. "But do you now?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

He gestured to her. "Do you still want to be invisible?"

She paused, not knowing what to say to that. Not that she would've had time to answer, anyway, for just then Potter decided to make his appearance.

"Oi, d'you mind budging over a bit so those of us who don't walk attached at the hip can get by?" His arrogantly sarcastic tone was amused, but a little bit baffled, as well, and the two turned to see him strutting up to them, flanked by Black and Pettigrew.

Remus sidestepped out of the way, dragging Cassie with him, and mockingly curtsied. "Terribly sorry, mate. Is this enough room for your obnoxiously fat bottom to get through?"

Cassie choked on a laugh at the look of sheer offense on Potter's face.

"You'll pay for that, Moony," he warned, latching onto Cassie's other arm and pulling the both of them along with her trapped in the middle. "C'mon, Ally Alderfair, let's get some food that can go straight to my voluptuous behind."

He cast Remus a dark look as they all laughed.

"I'm sorry for any offense I caused to you and your arse," the sandy-haired boy said mockingly. "I promise it's one of the fittest, perky, top form—"

"Cassie, what are you doing?"

They all stopped and turned to see Lily, Marlene, and Alice sitting at the table and staring, as if unable to believe what their eyes were seeing. Cassie hastily untangled herself from the limbs of Remus and Potter, attempting to come up with an answer until Potter spoke up before her.

"Evans!" he said brightly, his eyes glittering. "You're looking radiant this morning, as ever. See, we were just inviting Cassie to eat with us this morning – that is, if you don't mind?"

He gave her a faux-innocent look, and Lily just looked unimpressed and bewildered, looking back and forth between Potter and Cassie, who only returned her stare with a grimace.

"Cassie can make decisions for herself," she said finally, while it seemed that Alice and Marlene had been rendered speechless. "If she doesn't mind, then I don't mind."

Her gaze bored into Cassie, and she realized then that Lily was expecting her to refuse their offer and join them, just like every other morning. Perhaps it was because of Lily's disapproving stare, or maybe some leftover residue of rebellion from the scavenger hunt night was still coursing through her, but Cassie felt the sudden desire to change things up a bit, and so gave her answer.

"I don't mind," she said, meeting Lily's gaze assuredly. "Just for today."

Her emerald eyes widened, but returned to their usual size quickly when Cassie gave her a tiny nod.

"Excellent," Potter said, immediately looping his arm through hers again before dragging her away down the table. "See you in class, Evans!"

Lily didn't even deign him with a response, but Potter seemed rather used to it as he forced Cassie to sit down beside him, Pettigrew on his other side and Remus and Black across from them.

She must've looked vaguely helpless, for Remus just shrugged, as if to say _your choice._ She grimaced at him before her gaze flicked over to Black, only to find him already looking back at her.

His intense silvery gaze brought her back to those first days at school this term, when he had done nothing but stare at her, and she attempted to lower her head, but resisted when she remembered Remus' words: _"Do you still want to be invisible?"_

Taking a deep breath, she gave Black a hesitant smile, holding his gaze until he nodded to her, once. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless, and she imagined herself, transparent and invisible, slowly beginning to take substance again, piece by piece.

* * *

When Cassie entered Defense Against the Dark Arts later that day, it was to find the floor already cleared of desks and cushions set up around the room again, and she internally groaned when Professor Carlisle began to speak.

"You will continue work with your Shield Charms today," she said stiffly. "Much of your effort was abysmal last class, so I do hope you have been practicing since then."

Many people shuffled their feet and murmured at this, and Cassie looked around the room, seeing the Slytherins looking quite smug while most of the Gryffindors exchanged nervous glances. She saw the Marauders standing off to her left, though frowned when she noticed that Remus wasn't with them, and she sidled closer to them as Professor Carlisle continued to speak.

"Is Remus all right?" she whispered to Pettigrew, who was nearest her, and he suddenly looked very anxious when she spoke to him.

"Stomach bug," he whispered back, not meeting her eyes. "He's in the hospital wing."

"I gathered that much," she said. "He looked ghastly this morning; I was asking if he was going to be okay."

She noted that Pettigrew looked oddly flushed when he answered her. "He'll be fine by tomorrow. Don't worry about it."

The way he said it made her think that she _should_ worry about it, but before she could say anything more, Professor Carlisle's voice cut in from across the room.

"Five points from Gryffindor, as Miss Alderfair seems incapable of remaining silent while I am speaking," she said, and her cold eyes bored into Cassie as she flushed, not returning any of the stares that had swiveled around to her at Professor Carlisle's words.

She heard Potter snort from beside her and Pettigrew. "To be fair, Professor, half the class was talking while you were," he pointed out, though his confident smirk wavered a bit when she turned her frosty gaze on him.

"Would you care to make it ten more points, Mr. Potter?" she asked, and he seemed to contemplate her question before shrugging.

"No, I think I'm all right for now," he said. "Maybe later."

Professor Carlisle seemed as if she were sucking on a particularly strong lemon as she stared at him, but after a few tense moments, she turned away and continued on with her lecture.

Cassie exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "Potter, someone is going to murder you one day if you keep that sort of thing up."

He shrugged, looking completely unruffled. "At least I'll go out with a bang, eh?"

She rolled her eyes, choosing not to comment further.

"Pair with the partner you were assigned last time, and begin," Professor Carlisle said, retreating back to her desk as students began to mill around the room, looking for their partners.

Cassie found herself staring at Professor Carlisle, still miffed at being called out again by the icy witch, and she wondered what the professor had against her. As she watched her take out a pile of parchment papers from within her desk and begin to scribble furiously on them, she was reminded of the day she had turned in her essay on hags and had seen her working on that strange diagram, frowning at the memory.

Her musings were cut short, however, when she felt a tap on her shoulder, and she turned around into the face of Avery.

He gestured to one of the far corners of the room, his black curls following the movement as he said, "There's a space over there for us to practice."

She nodded, extracting her wand from within her robes as she followed him into the corner, the farthest away from Professor Carlisle, and she thought vaguely that he might have done this on purpose, though she wasn't sure.

"You can go first this time," he said, pivoting on his heel to face her, and she became aware of just how graceful he was then, every movement smooth and fluid, like water ebbing on a pristine white shore.

Suddenly feeling very inadequate, she only nodded again, readying herself as he lifted his wand.

 _"Expelliarmus!"_

 _"Protego!"_

A very nearly translucent shield formed in front of her, warding off Avery's spell, and she couldn't help but to smile as he looked at her, mildly impressed.

"That was good," he said, and she could tell he meant it. "Have you been practicing?"

She gave him a cheeky smile. "For the past two nights."

His lips curved in a small smile, and the motion accentuated his high cheekbones and sharp jawline, and she found herself staring a bit longer than was necessary.

Clearing her throat, she brushed the moment aside easily, raising her wand once more and saying, "Again."

Across the room, Sirius found himself deflecting Marlene's spells almost carelessly, already bored with the lesson, as he had mastered the spell perfectly in his fourth year.

After another shield popped in front of him to block Marlene's spell, the blonde girl let out a dejected huff, blowing a loose curl out of her mouth.

"Why are you so good at this?" she complained, and Sirius smirked.

"Practice, love," he replied, and her lips twitched at this, though she still looked quite frustrated. "We can switch, if you want."

She gave him a tiny nod. "Yes, please."

He relaxed his defensive stance, slipping into offense as she tensed from across him.

Sirius prepared to Disarm her, but paused when her next sentence caught him off-guard.

"So, really, what is going on with your mates and Cassie?" she asked, and Sirius scowled, wishing she hadn't brought that topic up. He still didn't know what to make of Cassie Alderfair, and having her friends prodding at him with incessant questions wasn't helping him see past his initial irritation with his own mates' fascination with her.

He only grunted, giving a small shrug. "Who knows what's going on inside their heads?"

She cocked her own head, studying him intently at this. "That's why I was asking you," she said. "You're their best mate; I thought if anyone knew, it'd be you."

"Well, I haven't the foggiest clue of what they're doing, so I can't help you there," he said, his tone coming out more harshly than he meant it to, and he shook his head when she frowned. "Never mind, sorry."

She only continued to frown, and her intense gaze was starting to make his skin prickle.

"Cassie's a good friend of mine," she said finally, and this took him by surprise. "She's been through a lot, and she doesn't trust people easily, but if she's willing to open up to you lot, then you should embrace that." She suddenly gave him a bright smile. "And just know that if you or your mates do anything to hurt her, I will bury your bodies so deep in the Forbidden Forest that nobody will ever find you, okay?"

Sirius blinked. "Er, okay."

His eyes surreptitiously flickered over to Cassie Alderfair, where she was working with Avery, and he saw her smile when she produced another successful Shield Charm before his eyes slid over to Avery and narrowed.

The Slytherin was watching her with a look he couldn't identify, but he disliked it all the same; it reminded him of a snake, as if waiting to strike at its prey, and he felt a strong sense of unease when the other boy approached Cassie, saying something that caused her to flush and look down at her feet, biting her lip to hold back a smile.

He was brought back to his own space when a cushion cuffed him on the back of the head, and he cursed and turned to see James walking over to him, giving the confused Marlene a wave that made her roll her eyes and march over to Lily, who was working in a group of three since Remus was gone.

"Can I help you?" he asked, and James' grin slipped from his face when he jerked his chin toward the corner where Avery and Alderfair were.

"Saw you staring, thought I'd come over and find out why," he said, watching the two interact, and from his furrowed brows, Sirius guessed he was feeling the same way about Avery. "Blimey, the poor bloke; Bungo the Blind could see he was flirting from a continent away."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "His shabby flirting abilities aside, aren't you curious as to why he's being so friendly with Alderfair?"

James quirked his lips. "She's pretty, and she's a girl, Pads. Need I say more?"

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He scowled at James' knowing smirk. "Avery doesn't do friendly, only mean."

"If you're going to spout more theories on how she's going to be a Death Eater—"

"I actually wasn't going to," he said, startled when he realized that it was true. His suspicions about Cassie Alderfair were still there, but they were more uncertainties now; this time, his distrust was aimed at the slimy Slytherin git. "I'm just saying that Avery has interest in her, and whoever Avery's interested in usually winds up hexed at the bottom of a staircase."

James nodded slowly, now looking worried. "So you're suggesting we keep an eye on him?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

"All right, then," he agreed, before giving Sirius a sideways glance. "You know, one could say that your newfound interest in our ally is quite curious, too."

Sirius scowled. "Just let Peter know. You know what he's like if he feels like he's being excluded."

"Aye, aye, captain," James said cheekily. "We can let Remus know about Operation Sneaky Snake tonight, too."

Sirius gave him a disgusted look. "'Sneaky Snake?'"

"Another reason to let Remus and Pete know," he said, clapping him on the back. "They're the ones who come up with all the good names."

He went back to his partner as Professor Carlisle started making rounds to check their progress, and Sirius cast Avery one last look, trying to ignore the seed of unease that was slowly taking root in his gut.

* * *

The day of the Hogsmeade trip dawned cloudy and cold, and there was a sharp bite of winter in the air that left the students to bundle up in coats and jumpers and scarves as they prepared for a day outside of the school.

Cassie was still nestled in her bed, watching the other girls get ready for breakfast and acting like she didn't just have the most restless sleep of her life, an overwhelming sense of anxiety clinging to her despite all of her attempts to shake it.

"Cass, are you _sure_ you don't want to come to Hogsmeade?" Alice asked for the millionth time, and Cassie tried not to roll her eyes, only giving her a polite smile.

"I'm sure," she said. "I just have too much to catch up on. But next time, yeah?"

Alice nibbled on her bottom lip, nodding, "Yeah, all right. We'll see you later, Cass."

"See you," she said, waving as the three girls departed the dormitory. "And don't forget to bring me back Sugar Quills!"

When their footsteps retreated down the stairs, she got out of bed and started to dress, taking her time. She had planned this exactly right, so she would miss the mass of students who would leave after breakfast and avoid any awkward confrontations with her friends, but she had to get there before Filch stopped checking names so she would still be allowed to go to the village. Unfortunately, her plan included missing breakfast, but she thought of steak-and-kidney pie from The Three Broomsticks to strengthen her will and motivate her for what was to come.

She dressed simply, in jeans and a soft pink jumper, before throwing on a leather jacket she had bought that summer (and was now one of her prized possessions – honestly, how could wizards walk about in robes when things like _leather jackets_ existed?) and tying a loose red scarf around her neck. After sliding on her trainers and doing her best to make herself look presentable (really just brushing her hair and teeth and washing her face), she stowed her wand in her back pocket and deemed it safe enough to venture out.

First and second-years were crowding the common room when she came down, and a few older students mingled about, as well, either staying behind to study or just to hang around after the novelty of Hogsmeade had worn off for them. Luckily, she knew none of them, and she ducked out of the portrait hole quickly, making her way down to the Entrance Hall.

When she reached the marble staircase, she was relieved to find that most everyone was done with breakfast and were now departing from the courtyard, where she could see Filch checking off names with a scowl from beyond the front doors.

She slipped outside and joined the line, hidden behind a group of seventh-year Hufflepuffs that laughed very loudly, but she enjoyed the distraction they provided, as she listened to their light-hearted banter and tried not to let her mind drift into the dark realm of possibilities that seeing her brother could entail.

Soon, she had reached Filch, and she held her breath when the caretaker looked her up and down, praying he wouldn't recognize her from the other night since it had been so dark.

His beady eyes paused on her face, studying her carefully, and she felt sweat begin to slick her palms until he grunted, looking down at the roll of parchment in his hands. "Name?"

"Cassiopeia Alderfair," she said in a rush, though Filch gave no indication that he knew who she was, only checking her name off the list and jerking his head, allowing her to pass.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, she made her way down to the gates, walking briskly along the path that would take her into Hogsmeade. She shoved her hands in her pockets to avoid the brunt of the chill, and she kept her head down, trying not to let her mounting apprehension get to her.

It got harder the further she walked, until she felt like she was hyperventilating once she reached a forked path, where one road would lead her into the village, and the other branched off to the left, winding its way up a small incline where one would be able to get a glimpse of the distant Shrieking Shack, rumored to be the most haunted building in Britain. She had been there before, with her friends, and though she was never one to be easily scared by ghost stories, the derelict shack always made goosebumps rise on her arms whenever she saw it. Most students never dared to venture out to the overlook, however, which was why she had chosen it as the meeting place, allowing for her to be alone with her brother and lowering the chances of them being seen.

"Get a grip, Cassie," she scolded herself, raking her hair out of her face and taking deep, calming breaths. "You can do this. Don't freak."

It was a lame pep talk, but it would have to suffice, as a distant bell tower chimed that it was eleven o'clock. Steeling herself, she ducked down the path to the Shrieking Shack, unaware that she was being followed by three people who loved nothing more than uncovering secrets, and one that had resigned himself to the fate of his friends' curiosity as he was dragged mercilessly along.

* * *

Remus had awakened that morning to find himself lying in the hospital wing, dressed in the soft pajamas Madam Pomfrey always provided him and feeling like he had been torn apart, then stitched back together again.

His whole body was outrageously sore, and he felt like his head might burst open as he forced himself to sit up, reaching out a hand for the glass of water left on his bedside table.

He almost dropped the glass, he was so weak, but before he could, another hand had swooped in and rescued it, and he looked around blearily to see James, Sirius, and Peter all sitting beside him.

"Wotcher, mate," James said, grinning and pushing the glass back into Remus' hand.

He took the glass gratefully, draining the entire thing in one gulp, and leaned back against his pillows, sighing heavily.

"Rough night?" Peter asked sympathetically, and Remus nodded.

"The ones around Halloween are always the worst," he admitted. "The 'pinnacle of all things supernatural' and all that rubbish."

"Is that really a thing?" Sirius asked, intrigued, and Remus just grunted.

"Sure feels like it," he said, and they all grinned at that.

"So, does that mean you're not up for Hogsmeade today?" James asked, and Remus' grin diminished at the thought. Not for the first time, he felt a strong surge of anger towards his condition, for ruining things like this for him, but he quickly let it go, knowing it wasn't worth it. He had already come to terms that his condition would hinder him from a great many things, but it was still a hard notion to swallow sometimes.

"No, probably not—" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly recalling his conversation with Cassie yesterday, and he immediately tried to sit up, only to groan and flop back as his friends looked to him in concern.

"Moony?" James said, reaching for his arm. "Remus?"

"Ah, good, he's awake!"

Madam Pomfrey had just emerged from her office, and she promptly bustled over, waving her wand and summoning three vials of potion that Remus wrinkled his nose at, already very familiar with them and their horrid tastes.

"Here you are, dear," the kindly matron said, handing over a small cup filled with a sizzling purple liquid, and he downed it rapidly, shuddering, though a newfound sense of energy began to grow within him. She gave him the two other potions – one to regain his strength, and one just a dose of Pepper-Up Potion – and when he had finished them all, she smiled gently and began to poke at his body.

"Nothing seems to be broken this time," she remarked cheerfully, though he still winced every time her fingers prodded at him. "You should be well enough to leave after breakfast. But I want you to _rest,_ young man," she added sternly. "No gallivanting off to Hogsmeade today."

"We'll take care of him, Poms, don't worry," James said, giving the matron a brilliant smile, and she turned her stern gaze onto him.

"Please do, Mr. Potter," she said. "I don't want him overexerting himself running around with you three."

The Marauders all exchanged a mischievous glance at this, obviously thinking about the irony of her statement, but she didn't seem to notice, only casting Remus a fond look before returning to her office.

"I need to go to Hogsmeade," Remus said as soon as she was out of earshot, and the other three turned to look at him gleefully.

"Brilliant," James said eagerly. "I'll nip back to the dorm and grab the cloak—" He stopped when he saw Remus shaking his head. "What?"

"I have to find Cassie," he said, cursing when he looked at the clock on his bedside table. "Damn, she probably already left—"

"Wait, you're ditching us for _Alderfair?"_ Peter said, looking highly offended. "But we're your _mates—"_

"It's important," Remus insisted, kicking off his sheets and getting to his feet; he wobbled a bit standing up, but otherwise he was fine, the potions Madam Pomfrey had given him already helping immensely as he searched for his clothes.

"What is?" Sirius asked, producing Remus the said pile of clothes, and he accepted them with a nod, drawing the curtains closed so he could change, and escape some of the scrutiny of his friends' gazes.

"Nothing you need to worry about," he replied, pulling his worn woolen jumper over his head and buttoning his trousers, and he knew they were all exchanging incredulous looks, even if he couldn't see them.

He suddenly let out a yelp and jumped back, hitting the bed when James tore the curtains open, Sirius and Peter's heads popping up behind him.

"Bloody hell, Prongs," he said, flushing, and he was glad he had already been clothed as James gave him a mystified look.

"What's going on with you and Alderfair?" he demanded, before his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're not seeing her in secret, are you?"

This caused Remus to blush even more. _"No,_ James. It's just important, all right?"

The other boys all traded a covert glance, and before he could fathom why, James and Sirius had him pinned back down to the bed while Peter closed the curtains once more, casting a Silencing spell so Madam Pomfrey couldn't interrupt them.

"James, Sirius, gerroff!" he snapped, struggling against their hold, but it was virtually impossible in his weakened state, and he soon accepted defeat.

"Not until you tell us what's going on," Sirius said, and Remus avoided his intense gaze, opting to stare at the ceiling as he tried to figure out how to get out of this without spilling Cassie's secret.

"Come off it, Remus," James scoffed. "We're your mates; you can tell us anything."

"It's not my secret to share," he said petulantly, and they looked put out by this until Peter spoke up.

"Cassie's our ally now," he pointed out. "That means that we're on the same side."

Remus shook his head. "It's not that simple, Pete."

"Does it have something to do with Avery?" Sirius pressed, and Remus frowned up at him. "What does _Avery_ have to do with anything?"

"The git's been too friendly with Alderfair as of late," James filled him in. "We're going to be keeping an eye on him."

"Er, right," he said, still confused, but he let it slide for now. "Seriously, will you please let me go now?"

His answer was Peter sitting on his legs, and he winced when his bones protested against the weight.

"Jesus, fine," he ground out, using one of the Muggle terms his mother uttered whenever she was exasperated. "I'll tell you if you get off."

They instantly complied, and he sat up, grimacing and rubbing the spots where he had been held down by Sirius and James' hands, wishing that they weren't so damned stubborn and nosy.

"This stays between us," he warned, unnecessarily, really; he knew they would rather die than break his trust, and this thought made him feel a little less guilty as he continued. "Cassie came to me a few days ago, saying that her brother wrote her a letter."

"That was what had her so freaked that one day, then?" James interjected, and Remus nodded.

"Yeah, that was the reason. She said he had asked her to meet him in Hogsmeade today, to give her a birthday present or some other rubbish, and she told me that she was going to give him a chance."

"You mean she's meeting him _today?"_ James said, gaping. "Like, right _now?"_

Remus nodded again. "I was going to try and find her before she left, ask if she wanted me there or something, but it's too late now. She'd already be gone."

James suddenly looked determined. "Well, that settles it. Wait here; I'm going to get the cloak."

"What for?" Peter asked, and James gave him a steely look.

"Because Alderfair's a part of our alliance," he said. "And no decent ally is going to let their comrade meet a known Death Eater alone."

"James, I don't think that's a good idea—" Remus started, but he was instantly quelled by the hard look the bespectacled boy aimed at him.

"C'mon, boys," James said, marching toward the hospital wing doors. "We've got an ally to defend."

Remus knew he was probably going to regret this, and it was this thought that instantly propelled him to his feet and allowed him to follow after James, Sirius and Peter hurrying behind.

* * *

In any other circumstance, Cassie would be freezing her arse off right about then. But this wasn't any normal circumstance, which led to her feeling as if her skin was on fire as she paced back and forth along the overlook, periodically tugging at her scarf and pressing her hands to her face in an attempt to cool herself down.

Fifteen minutes had already passed, and her apprehension was slowly turning into irritation as she waited. Patience had never been a virtue of hers, and she wondered if this was fate giving her a second chance, a loophole to get herself out of this mess before it could even begin.

How did she convince herself that this was a good idea? Nothing about this was smart, or even remotely sane. Will was a _Death Eater._ As hard as it was to accept it, that was the truth, and she couldn't keep pretending that it wasn't, that he was still the same person—

"Hello, sister."

Cassie stopped dead in her tracks, her heart picking up speed when she heard someone approach from behind her. She slowly turned, feeling as if she were suffocating as she faced her brother.

Seeing him was the biggest shock of all, for he looked exactly as she remembered him on that last day. His dark hair was still thick and sleek, perhaps a bit longer now, but still styled, still meticulous, as it always had been. His face was still clean-shaven, smooth and unblemished, like the marble sculptures of ancient gods, with the handsome features to match. He was dressed impeccably in expensive robes, black interwoven with silver, but the image of him was shattered when she saw his eyes.

She had grown up staring into those eyes, and she had seen them bright with excitement, overflowing with vitality, glassy with tears, and everything in between. She knew how to detect when he was being sarcastic or serious from those eyes, for they always glinted when he was up to no good, and became as dark as shadows when he was lost in thought, or telling her tragic stories about the heroes who didn't survive in the end. No, the worst part wasn't that she was staring into those familiar eyes – the worst part was staring into those eyes and seeing nothing but a complete stranger gazing back at her.

"William." She replied curtly, jerking her head and trying to keep her sudden emotions in check.

He moved slowly across the overlook, hands clasped behind his back, posture straight and proud, as always, and she forced herself to stay where she was as he came closer.

"You're nervous," he said, and she blinked, startled at his unexpected statement. "You pace whenever you get too anxious," he explained, gesturing to her, and she only stared, not knowing what to say. "It's something of a habit for you."

She remained silent, and he sighed, looking down to his feet and frowning. "I see that you're still angry with me."

Cassie couldn't help but to scoff, and he looked back up to her, brows furrowed.

"I'm not angry, Will," she said bitterly, shaking her head. "'Angry' is reserved for small, petty arguments that can be worked out over a cup of tea and a few hugs. Betrayal, however, doesn't really fall into that category."

Surprise and some resign flitted over his features. "So you think I betrayed you?"

"Didn't I just say that?" she snapped. She took a deep breath when he didn't immediately reply, trying to rein in her emotions. She had to keep her head, she had to be reasonable if she was going to talk any sense into him. She couldn't drive him away, not if there was still a chance she could convince him to come back home and forget all of this pureblood nonsense.

"I understand that you're upset, Cassie," he said softly, and she flinched when he said her name. "But, sister…you're so young, so ideological, so sheltered. When you venture out into the world, it's an entirely new place, and there are things that allow you to see so _clearly_ what is wrong with our society."

"What, like all Muggles and Muggleborns are scum, and we should treat them as if they are beneath us?" she asked scathingly, and he only smiled ruefully.

"You see everything in black and white," he said. "But there is no distinction, Cassie. Light and Dark, Good and Evil – they do not exist. This movement is not anti-Muggle, or pro-Pureblood; it is about balance, and restoring order. Witches and wizards have lived in secrecy for so long because of Muggle persecution, and this new order is going to change that. Those with magic will no longer cower in the shadows, and those with no magic will learn to accept their place in the world, and they will admire us for our powers, they will realize how foolish they were so long ago, and they will help us see what we truly are: higher beings, of a greater distinction, with a greater purpose. And the world will be better because of it."

Cassie felt as if a cold, dead hand was wrapping itself around her throat as she listened to him, and she felt tears stinging her eyes. "What did they do to you, Will? Oh, Merlin, what did they do to make you believe all that?"

"One day you'll see, sister," he said, breathless with passion. "One day you'll realize why I left, and you'll be by my side, watching as we shape history together. And what a glorious day that will be."

She shook her head, stepping away from him as his eyes beseeched her, lacking anything within that she could recognize, that she could identify with. This wasn't her brother – this was a blind follower of a lost cause.

"I don't know who you are anymore," she said, her voice tremulous. "You never used to be like this, you never talked about stuff like this. I don't know what you've become."

He looked fairly frustrated with her, and he ran a hand through his hair, sighing out of his nose.

"I didn't come here to argue with you, Cassie," he said, his voice tinged with something akin to sadness. "You're my sister, and that's not ever going to change. We are bonded by blood, and that magic runs deep. You know this, too, and that's why you can't bring yourself to hate me."

Her retort died on her lips when she met his eyes again, and she drew in a sharp breath when she saw some sort of glimmer there, a small light that told her not all was lost.

He extracted a small box from within his robes and held it out to her, watching expectantly as she hesitated. She slowly reached for the box, and he pressed it into her hand, giving her a tiny smile. The box was heavier than she expected, coated with black lacquer and tied with a simple golden string, and she opened it carefully, gasping when she saw what was inside.

It was a locket, made of an intricate silver and ruby design, but it was something she had never seen before, as she opened it and saw the smallest metal gears turning and whirring within, giving the impression of a miniature machine.

"I found this a few weeks ago, in some very strange shop in Bournemouth," he said, as she stared down at the locket in wonder. "It's what they call a clockwork locket, because of the little gears on the inside. You can enchant it, and the gears will play back anything you want it to: a message, a poem, a song, whatever. The giver is the one who usually enchants it, and that's what I did. There's a note inside the box that tells you how to play the song I charmed it with."

"Will, I-I don't know what to say," she said, torn between fascination and a sudden rush of resentment, and he inclined his head to her.

"Think of it as an apology," he said, and those were the words that finally pushed her over the edge, a well of emotions bursting inside of her as she looked up to him.

"Please come home, Will," she said, and her voice came out small, pleading. "Please come back."

Pain flashed across his features before it was gone, replaced with a carefully controlled mask, and she closed her eyes when his cold hand cupped her cheek, his thumb swiping at the tears that were now falling.

"I can't, Cassie," he whispered, and she felt something shrivel inside of her at his words. "There are things I have to do, things that should have been done a long time ago. I can't come home. Not yet."

"Please," she said, her voice nothing more than a ragged whisper. "Please don't leave me alone."

"I love you, Cassie," he said, and he sounded strangled. "I love you."

He began to pull away, and she seized his sleeve, suddenly desperate. "No, Will—"

She froze when she saw something on his wrist, and he attempted to tug his arm out of her grasp, but she had already pushed his sleeve up, a wave of nausea rolling over her at what she saw.

An ugly tattoo marred the inside of his left forearm, a skull with twisting serpents twining around it and spilling out of its mouth, and Cassie was horrified by it, so shocked that she barely registered when he had yanked his arm out of her grip, hastily rolling down his sleeve.

"Dear Merlin, what is that?" she breathed.

"It's nothing," he said hurriedly. "They're just things we get when we join the New Order, like badges of honor. He makes us get them to prove our loyalty."

"He?" she echoed. _"He_ makes you get them? He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"That is not the Dark Lord's title," he said, suddenly miffed. "He is far greater than what the _Prophet_ makes him out to be—"

"You should leave," she interrupted, and his eyes widened, his lips parting in shock, but she refused to make eye contact, instead looking down to her feet.

"Sister—" he started, but she shook her head, her chest tight.

"Please," she said, and her voice broke on the word. "Please, just go."

He hesitated, and she sensed him opening his mouth to say something, before he shut it again, and she squeezed her eyes closed as that day in June came back to her, when they were in this exact position upon his first leave taking.

"I'm sorry."

This time she knew it was him speaking, not the wind, and she looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks, just in time to see him disappear again.

A sob escaped from her throat when she realized that she was alone again, and she sunk down to her knees, hunching over as more sobs racked her body, clutching the box with the locket in it to her chest as she cried.

Where once an ugly, festering wound lay dormant, there was now a ragged, gaping hole, and she felt as if she was going to drown in it, slip away until nothing was left of her. The one chance she had had to make things right with William, the last shred of hope she had been clinging to was now crushed into dust, and knowing that she had failed him was what killed her.

 _I should've tried harder I should've made him stay I should've I should've I should've—_

She didn't look up when four pairs of trainers were abruptly standing in front of her, but she flinched when a hand touched her shoulder, warm and comforting.

"Cassie?" It was Remus, she knew, but she couldn't acknowledge him, not when everything was falling apart around her. "Cassie, please look at me."

Despite her reluctance to do so, she did it anyway, blinking to see him through her tears. He looked awful, and she guessed her predicament wasn't making him feel any better, but his fingers hovered over her face before he dropped them, as if he couldn't bear to touch her. She couldn't blame him entirely, though; she must've been a terrible sight.

"Will," she blubbered. "He – I – how much did you hear?"

He looked highly uncomfortable when he answered. "Erm, everything?"

She looked down, wiping her eyes with her sleeve and trying very hard to not be embarrassed by the whole situation. She only looked up when she felt another body slide down next to hers.

James Potter gazed at her solemnly, his hazel eyes more serious than she had ever seen them, before he said, very bluntly: "Your brother is a git."

The absurdity of the understatement captured her off-guard, and she bit out a harsh laugh as his arm snaked around her shoulders.

Peter plopped down in front of her, and though he didn't say anything, he held out a Chocolate Frog to her, and she took it gratefully, nibbling on a small piece as Remus settled on her other side, hemming her in between the three.

Black was still standing, looking extremely awkward, until James yanked on his sleeve and pulled him down to sit beside him.

The dark-haired boy grumbled something incoherent, but sat anyway, leaning against James as the bespectacled boy propped his head on Cassie's shoulder, lending her a silent strength and an unspoken comfort. She flicked his nose lightly to show that she appreciated it, and she felt him grin into her jacket, knowing that he understood.

Cassie didn't know how long they stayed like that, but she found herself not really minding, too touched by their concern and too ravaged by her brother's departure to think about doing anything else. But eventually, James was the one who goaded them into moving.

"My arse hurts," he complained, breaking the peaceful silence, and Cassie snorted as he lifted his head off her shoulder, making a big show of standing up and rubbing his backside.

"I second that," Peter grunted, getting to his feet and stretching, Black following his lead and rising gracefully, not even looking disgruntled.

Remus offered her a hand up, and she accepted it, hauling herself off the hard ground and immediately regretting having sat that long as her legs burned.

"Looks like we still have a few hours before we have to be back," James remarked, before turning and wagging his eyebrows at them. "Who's up for a butterbeer?"

Cassie found herself being pulled along by Remus as they headed back to the main street and into Hogsmeade, laughing along with them as they told jokes and stories. Their previous exchange was not mentioned at all, and she was beyond relieved when they never brought it up, for she still didn't know what to make of it. That hole was still there, and it throbbed every time she poked at its edges, but she knew that like all things, time would heal it – even if it hurt like hell in the meantime.

The only thing that was said about it that day was when they were heading back to the castle, full of warm butterbeer and giddy with the cheerful atmosphere of The Three Broomsticks, and Black stopped her when they were exiting the pub, his hand on her shoulder and his eyes searching her face.

"Alderfair," he said lowly, so only they could hear, and she looked back to him with some trepidation, not knowing what he was going to say, but he only looked concerned, if not slightly awkward. "Are you all right?"

She didn't answer immediately, letting her gaze linger on the other three Marauders as James and Peter skipped arm-in-arm down the street, singing a very inappropriate drinking song about a one-legged wizard and a big-breasted barmaid while Remus roared with laughter. Watching them, she felt the faint stirrings of something warm in her chest, and she looked back to Black, giving him a tiny smile.

"Not really, no," she said, meeting his grey eyes earnestly. "But honestly, Black? I think I will be."

* * *

 **Excuse the jumbled mess this chapter became, but I was sick of rewriting it, so this was the end result. Character development, plot hints (c'mon, did you really think I was going to give away the whole mystery of the clockwork locket in this chapter? Old readers of mine, you know how I work), other things that may or may not be important...?**

 **Please review! Every one that I get makes me extremely happy, and motivates me to write faster!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Worst Birthday_**

 **xx**


	11. The Worst Birthday Part I

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Sorry for the slight delay of this chapter, but here it is!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: gr8rockstarrox, ChizomenoHime, RedRoses139/0, heroherondaletotherescue, enje, wickedgrl123, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Les Spring Hamilton, Tingting26021996, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven: The Worst Birthday Part I

Cassie walked through the trees of the Forbidden Forest, the air damp and cool and musty, and she shivered despite the jacket she was wearing, the hair rising on her arms the further she went.

The trees were packed so tightly together that the grey daylight above was blocked out completely, lending the scene an eerie twilit backdrop as she pushed on, determined to keep moving. She didn't know why she was in the forest, or what her ultimate goal was, but an insistent force kept prodding her along, whispering, _close…so close…_

Unknown creatures rustled in the undergrowth around her, and she could see peering eyes amongst the leaves, some curious, and some hungry, but she didn't slow. Oddly, the creatures were not the root of her fear – it was whatever she was going towards that gave her a sense of danger, warning her away, but whatever she did, she could not turn and flee. She just kept going forward.

Eventually the trees thinned, and she found herself standing in a dark, empty clearing. She paused, confused, and blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer alone. A stone well sat before her, and it appeared to be very old; the stones were cracked, moss and weeds were choking the base of it and twisting up its sides, and the chain used to lower the water pail was rusty and ancient.

She stepped closer, almost against her will, and placed her hands on the rim, looking down into the yawning darkness below. She couldn't see the bottom of it, but the smell of stagnant water and fetid air reached up for her nostrils, making her recoil, wrinkling her nose. And suddenly someone else was there.

"Cassie."

The voice was hoarse, choked, as if being suffocated, and she looked up, the blood draining from her face when she saw her brother standing across from her, clutching the other side of the well with white knuckles and, strangely, wearing the locket he had given her in Hogsmeade.

Will seemed to be in severe pain, his muscles tensed and coiled, and the veins in his neck and temples stood out harshly, twitching beneath his ghostly pale skin. His dark eyes bored into her, glassy with fear and something like regret, and she gaped at him, her heart suddenly stuck in her throat.

"Will, what's wrong? What's happening?" she asked frantically, trying to move to his side, but her body would not obey her. "Will?"

"Cassie," he rasped, one of his hands reaching for the locket, and that was when she realized how tightly the chain was wound around his neck, biting into his skin with a raw and angry red burn.

"Will, please, what's happening?" she cried, on the verge of hysteric tears when she saw his lips turning blue. "Will!"

"I'm sorry."

The words were released in a breathless whisper, before his body pitched forward, and he tumbled down into the darkness of the well.

"WILL!"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Cassie was ripped violently from her dream, her cry lost in the shouts of Lily, Marlene, and Alice as they all crowded around her on her bed, smiling and holding wrapped parcels. She sat up quickly, her heart racing like mad, and she breathed heavily, feeling very feverish.

"Sorry we scared you, bedhead," Marlene laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Having a bad dream?"

Cassie rubbed at her chest, her skin sticky with sweat under her hand, and she gave a weak smile. "Something like it."

"Well, get up!" Alice said, shifting closer to her and practically bouncing on the mattress. "We have presents!"

"You really didn't have to get me anything," she said hastily, kicking off the covers and trying to calm herself down from the dream, and they all rolled their eyes.

"We get you something every year, Cass, whether you want us to or not," Lily reminded her, giving her a warm smile that told her she held no grudge for her eating with the Marauders the other morning, and Cassie smiled back.

"Only because you lot refuse to listen to me," she joked, and they all shared smirks before Marlene held out her rather large parcel, wrapped in shiny purple paper.

"Open mine first!" she ordered, and Cassie grudgingly obeyed, tearing off the paper and feeling her face freeze into a polite yet slightly panicked smile.

Marlene's gift was comprised of nearly every cosmetic available, from eyeliner pencils to various shades of lipstick, and even included the numerous different brushes she would need to apply each eyeshadow palette. The blonde witch didn't seem to notice her alarm, thankfully, taking her smile for one of gratitude instead.

"That one day you showed up in class wearing makeup, I knew I just _had_ to get you some quality products!" she gushed. "I mean, you looked _so_ good, Cass, and with this stuff, you'll be a total knockout!"

"Wow, er, thanks, Mar," she said, trying to force her smile to not look so pained as she hugged her friend. She was grateful for the gift – after all, it was the thought that counted and everything – but there was _so much_ of it. This stuff would probably last her into the next millennium.

She turned to Lily and Alice's gifts next, relieved when she opened a box of cakes and pastries from Alice (her parents owned an ice cream and dessert shop in Diagon Alley, and they had sent along a wholesome amount of cream cheese Danishes, her favorite) and a new Muggle book from Lily, titled _The Hobbit._

"Thank you so much!" she said, wrapping her friends in an enormous hug, and they returned the gesture so enthusiastically that she was tackled back onto her pillows as they all giggled.

They laid there for a few minutes, basking in the early morning light peeking in through the window, tangled together, still in their pajamas, and Cassie felt so content and so loved within that moment that her terrible dream was very nearly forgotten, whisking away to some dark corner in her memory that she would not stray to, not now.

"Breakfast starts soon," Lily said, breaking the silence. "We should start getting ready."

This was met with groans, but they all relented and got out of Cassie's bed when she gave them a stern glare, beginning their daily routine of dressing and washing.

Cassie gathered her toiletry bag and a towel and headed for the washroom, but was stopped by Marlene, who shoved her birthday gift into Cassie's arms, as well, smiling broadly.

"You're not allowed out of there until you put this stuff on first," she said firmly, marching her to the washroom and ignoring her feeble protests. "I want to see you _radiant_ on your special day!"

At this, Cassie was pushed unceremoniously into the washroom, and the door shut behind her, leaving her alone to dump all the makeup products on the sink before turning on one of the showers, scrubbing at her eyes tiredly.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help remembering Will, her mind toying between the real one she had seen in Hogsmeade two days ago, and the imaginary one she had seen suffocating in her dream. She could see herself as Will in the dream, her dark eyes pained and scared, her lips blue, her angular face contorted in the throes of a slow and torturous death, and she felt her stomach roil, quickly looking away and busying herself by stripping out of her pajamas and stepping into the scalding water of the shower.

The hot water did nothing to ease the goosebumps that had erupted on her arms, and she shivered involuntarily before mentally chastising herself. She was never one to have nightmares, and the few she did have were worrisome, sure, but none of them had been like this. This one had been so real, so _vivid,_ that she could still feel the stone rim of the well under her hands, the musty air on her skin, and the overwhelming sense of helplessness as she had watched her brother fall into the well.

The image of him and the locket, though, was the only thing she could think of when she wondered what the dream had meant. She hadn't touched the locket since she had returned from Hogsmeade, choosing to stash the box under a pile of shirts in her trunk and vowing to keep it there forever, not even caring that it had been a gift, and probably a rather expensive one. It reminded her too much of her brother, and right now, she wanted him to be the furthest thing from her mind.

Shaking off the clinging uneasiness from her dream, she finished showering and grabbed her wand, muttering, _"Impervius"_ to dry most of the water off her hair and body before finishing the job with her towel.

After dressing and tackling her hair and teeth, she turned grudgingly to the cosmetics splayed across the counter, picking up a compact of powder and scrunching her nose. She really didn't want to put any of the makeup on, but she knew Marlene's feelings would be hurt if she chose not to.

 _Just for today,_ she told herself reluctantly. _Then maybe she'll forget about it, and I can pawn the stuff off to Mum._

Sighing, she chose the most inconspicuous shades possible, which was hard to do, considering Mar's style bordered on the extreme and outrageous, and glitter was her favorite accessory. She compromised on a brown eyeliner pencil and a champagne-colored eyeshadow, with a pale pink lipstick shade and very minimal powder and mascara. Feeling very foolish, but knowing she would pass Marlene's inspection, she stepped back into the dormitory and was met with a squeal and a very tight hug.

"You look _amazing!"_ Marlene gushed, and Cassie grimaced, knowing she looked more like a clown than anything. "Oh my stars, every boy in the school is going to trip over themselves just to talk to you!"

"Yeah, well, I'd probably be the one to trip them myself," she muttered, but Marlene didn't seem to hear her, instead dragging her over to Lily and Alice so they could ogle at her face.

After effectively being displayed like an exotic animal in a Muggle zoo, Cassie wrestled her way out of the dormitory, leaving the others behind to finish dressing and making her way down the stairs, disgruntled and feeling the faint stirrings of uncertainty.

Cassie had never been truly self-conscious of her appearance, though her height and skinny frame had been areas of contention before (or her bout of acne last year that had made her want to hide her face in a balaclava for eternity), but she had always accepted the fact that she was fairly average-looking; not too ugly, and not too pretty – the perfect recipe for invisibility. This term, however, was slowly turning her into an insecure third-year, and she wondered if she was really that plain without makeup, or if she had just fooled herself all this time and she was actually hideous, after remembering the way Marlene and the others had cooed at her new appearance. Merlin's beard, even _Avery_ had complimented her with makeup on.

Suddenly feeling very squeamish, she tugged out the elastic that had been holding her hair into a ponytail and let the dark curtains fall forward again, hoping that would detract a bit from her face. Keeping her head down, she entered the common room, but let out a startled yelp when someone grabbed hold of her elbow and began pulling her across the room.

"Keep it down, Alderfair, I'm not kidnapping you," James Potter said, whistling cheerily as he led her to the Marauders' fireplace seats and pushed her down on the couch next to Peter while he sat himself in the armchair across from Black's.

Cassie stifled a sigh, keeping her eyes trained on her lap as she said, "What do you want from me?"

"See, you never took up Remus' offer to sit with us before, so we – well, _I_ – decided that now would be the perfect time," James said smugly, and she shook her head, her hair tickling her stocking-clad thighs.

"I'm not sitting here," she mumbled, getting up. "I have to eat before class."

She was stopped in her tracks when Peter spoke up beside her, his expression quizzical. "What happened to your face?"

Remus smacked him on the arm, eliciting a sharp grunt of pain from the blond boy as Cassie felt her cheeks blaze, wondering why every time she was near the Marauders she somehow ended up more embarrassed than the last.

"If you must know, Pettigrew, Marlene and the others think that I'm frightfully ugly, so now I get to look like a fool for the rest of the day," she said bitterly, her embarrassment only growing when the boys began to crack up. "It's not funny!"

"'Course it is, Alderfair," James said, chuckling when she shot him an offended look. "Cause you're not. Ugly, that is."

"Having you laugh at me while you say that isn't very reassuring, you know that?" she said, and this only made his grin widen.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Forget it. I'm just going to drown myself in syrup and pretend that this is not my life right now."

"Great, we'll come with!" James said, leaping to his feet, and Cassie turned back with a scowl.

"No, you're not," she said. "I don't need any more attention."

"Well, that's just a shame, princess," he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close, smirking. "Because you're about to get a whole lot of it."

Cassie gave Remus a pleading look. "Please make him stop."

"Sorry, Cassie," he said, shrugging and looking very amused by the ordeal, "but James is not one to be tamed so easily."

The messy-haired boy shot her a smug smile. "He's right, y'know."

In response, she just elbowed him in the stomach, and he immediately released her, stepping back and grunting. "Sheesh, Alderfair! D'you treat all your friends like this?"

"Only the ones that annoy me," she replied wryly, adjusting her bag strap on her shoulder and tossing him a winning smile. "And we're not friends, Potter; we're allies. _Remus_ is my friend."

James looked to the sandy-haired boy in bafflement. "How come she likes you more than me?"

Remus stood up, joining Cassie as he just shrugged. "Couldn't tell you, mate." He looked down at Cassie, raising a brow. "Breakfast, then?"

"Like you even need to ask," she snorted, and she couldn't hide her smile when she heard James begin to splutter incredulously. She turned to the spot where Pettigrew was still sitting, watching the proceedings with an amused glint in his eyes. "Peter, would you like to join us?"

The blond boy raised his head in surprise, looking between her and James with some hesitation, before getting up and walking to her side. James looked downright betrayed at this point.

"Pete!" he said, clutching his chest. "I thought we were mates! Brothers in arms, 'til death do us part—"

"Sorry, mate," he said, unapologetically. "But Cassie's side has food, so…"

At this, she turned to Peter, her eyes sparkling. "I like this one."

He gave her a shy smile, and she returned it brightly, turning back to Potter with a smirk. "You two boys have fun," she said, indicating the gobsmacked James and the slightly amused Black. "We'll be down in the Great Hall."

"Make that one." Cassie's smirk plastered to her face when Black stood up, coming to stand by Remus and giving her an indecipherable look before glancing away. "I think I'll stick with them today."

Cassie had no idea what was happening. She had three Marauders standing next to her, one of them being Sirius Black himself, while James Potter stood across from them, looking as if he were on the verge of tears, though she knew that he was milking this for everything that it was worth. But still, she now had the power over Potter, and she waggled her brows at him upon this realization, turning for the portrait hole.

"C'mon, then, boys," she said, walking with an exaggerated strut that resembled Potter's while they all laughed behind her, James rendered incoherent at this point. "Bacon awaits!"

They followed her out into the corridor, still chuckling heartily as they began to walk to the Great Hall.

"How long until he starts running after us, begging to be taken back?" Remus asked, and Cassie snickered at the absurd image his question provided.

"I give it a minute," Sirius said, walking with a languid grace right next to her that only heightened her discomfort. She didn't know what terms she was on with Black yet, but so far, he had kept any sneering comments to himself, so she tried to relax instead.

No sooner had the words left his mouth then they heard the portrait hole swing open behind them, and running footsteps echoed down the corridor, James shouting, "Oi! Wait for me!"

They all burst out laughing, and Remus and Sirius exchanged a high-five.

* * *

Cassie knew something was awry as soon as she walked into Double Potions that day.

Professor Slughorn's class had never been a favorite of hers, despite her managing to scrape by with passing marks and being able to usually fade into the background. Of course, that hadn't always been the case. She had been a favorite student of Slughorn's for a while (due to her parents, of course), even having been invited to join his prestigious "Slug Club", but as soon as her brother started making headlines in the _Daily Prophet,_ she had been dropped faster than a hot potato. Not that she minded that much, though – after all, the less attention, the better, in her opinion.

When she took her customary seat next to Alice and the bell rang to begin class, Professor Slughorn waddled in from his office, his walrus-like mustache rippling from the force of his breathing, and Cassie noticed that the professor was looking very excited as he began to speak.

"Hello, hello!" he huffed, and the Gryffindors settled down at once, though she could still hear some Slytherins whispering in the back. Slughorn was their Head of House, however, so she doubted they would get in trouble, and she instead leaned forward to listen to the professor better.

"We will be starting work on the Girding Potion today," he said, rubbing his hands together and gazing around the dungeon classroom. "Does anyone know what the Girding Potion is used for?"

Lily's hand immediately shot into the air, and Slughorn beamed at her, causing Cassie and Alice to trade small smirks. Lily was a favorite of Slughorn's due to her aptitude for Potions, and it was no secret, as he gestured enthusiastically for her to speak.

"The Girding Potion is a potion that gives the consumer extra endurance for a short period of time," she answered, and Slughorn gave a little clap.

"Right you are, Miss Evans!" he said jubilantly. "Five points to Gryffindor! Now, who can tell me the possible side effects of using this potion too frequently or in too large of a dose? Yes, go ahead, Mr. Snape."

"Too much can put the consumer into a deep sleep when the potion wears off, or it can cause the drinker to accumulate a nasty toe fungus," Severus Snape said, his face flushing a bit as he spoke, though it turned positively red with pleasure when Lily whispered something from beside him and Slughorn clapped again.

"Good, good!" he said. "Five points for Slytherin. Now that you know the basics, here are the instructions, and you will have the remainder of class to work."

Chairs began to scrape across the floor as students made for the storage cupboard in the back where their ingredients were kept, but they were stopped when Slughorn called, "Not yet, not yet! I still have an announcement to make!"

Everyone sat down again, and Cassie had a feeling she was about to dread whatever he was going to say as he beamed out at them.

"It has occurred to me recently that many of you have worked with the same few partners over the years," he began, and the apprehension in the classroom was suddenly palpable. "So for this assignment, I ask that you choose a partner that you have never worked with before – and don't try and work with ones you have in the past! I will be watching carefully to see who everyone picks, and if you should attempt to weasel your way out of this, then I will choose your partner myself. Now, off you trot!"

"This is rubbish," Cassie grumbled, as people began to awkwardly shuffle about the room and ask around for partners. She had worked with Alice, Mar, and Lily far too much for Slughorn not to notice, but she perked up a bit when she remembered that Remus would not be able to work with the other Marauders.

Alice wasn't listening. "Hey, Frank, d'you want to be partners?"

The relieved-looking boy nearly tripped over his desk in his haste to reach her. "Of course!"

Her friend looked pleased, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink when Cassie gave her a secretive grin before moving away, looking for Remus.

She found him standing near the back, hovering uncertainly by the other Marauders, who were casting around suspicious, slightly challenging glares to the Slytherins in the room. When Remus spotted her, his face lit up, but before he could say anything, Potter shouted. "Oi! Evans! Wanna work with me?"

Lily turned and gave James a scathing look. "Not a chance, Potter."

James returned her glare with a taunting smirk. "C'mon, Evans, you heard ol' Sluggy; Snivellus can't be your partner for this."

Lily's face turned bright red, and she scowled. "I know that, Potter; that's why _Severus_ is working with Marlene."

Cassie doubted the blonde girl had been happy about that arrangement, and from James's look, he was thinking the same thing. "Evans, you're in need of a partner, and it just so happens that I am, too. So—"

"Remus, will you be my partner?" Lily asked, speaking over James, and the sandy-haired boy was taken aback, his eyes flicking between the approaching Cassie and the fuming Lily.

"Er…" He looked back to Cassie, and though she was disappointed she wouldn't be able to work with him, she gave him a tiny nod; she'd rather have Remus work with Lily instead of risking an all-out war between James and the red-haired witch. "Sure, yeah, Lily."

They moved off to a table together, and Lily cast James a cold glare, which he returned with a scowl. "I will never understand that one," he muttered.

"Maybe if you weren't such a git to her, things would be different," Cassie said disapprovingly, and James frowned at her.

"But being a git makes things fun!" he protested, before looking back to where Lily was sitting with Remus. "She'll come around, Alderfair, you'll see; no girl can resist my charm for long."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

James's reply was cut off when another person joined their group, and Cassie gulped when she recognized Avery, with the rather frightening Kanin Mulciber standing a few paces behind him and looking as if he had smelled something vile.

"Excuse me," Avery said in his soft voice, gazing at Cassie with his pale eyes, and she felt her skin heat under the intensity of the look. "Cassie, I was wondering if you would like to be my partner, and Kanin here is also looking for someone to work with."

Cassie felt as if the temperature dropped at least ten degrees as the Gryffindors and Slytherins sized each other up, and she licked her lips, about to respond, when James spoke up before her.

"How about this: Avery, you be my partner, and Pete, you can work with Mulciber here. Sound fair?" His tone made it clear he wasn't going to take no for an answer, and Avery seemed to sense this, as well, only giving a curt nod.

"Very well," he said, looking vaguely disappointed as he and James walked off together in tense silence, and Mulciber stalked away, Peter rushing to follow in his wake.

Cassie had been left alone with Black, and she turned to him questioningly. "Er, what was that about?"

Black just shook his head, lips pursed. "No idea."

She got the sense that that wasn't the truth, but she didn't press the matter further, instead looking around and seeing that everyone was now seated and had begun work on their potions. "Oh, bugger, I still need to find a partner—"

"What am I, then, a freaky first-year?" She turned to face Black again, her brows furrowing when she saw him smirking at her, though the expression contained none of its usual spite.

"No, I…just didn't know you wanted to partner with…me." She cringed upon saying it, but Black looked slightly abashed by her words.

"Look, Alderfair, I know I've been a git to you in the past, but I, erm, well…" He trailed off, now looking extremely awkward, and she raised her brows when he huffed. "Never mind. Point is, I'm trying to get over it, so we should really get started on this potion before Slughorn notices we're still standing here."

He said this last part in a rush, and Cassie shrugged, not knowing what to say but feeling very perplexed as they moved to a table in the back. "Er, I'll get the ingredients if you want to start heating the cauldron?"

"Got it." He took out his wand and set about getting a small flame lit as she headed for the storage cupboard, beginning her search for the ingredients Slughorn had written on the chalkboard.

She was just reaching for a box of dragonfly thoraxes when a voice behind her said, "Partners with Black, then?"

She fumbled to keep the box from falling to the floor, spinning around to see Avery entering the cupboard, one of his slender brows arched when he witnessed her near-disaster.

"Er, yeah," she said, turning and looking for doxy eggs and trying to ignore the creeping heat on the back of her neck. "What of it?"

She sensed him shrug as he gathered his own ingredients. "Nothing at all. I was simply curious."

"Why so?"

"I didn't know the two of you associated, is all," he said, and she tried not to squirm when she felt his eyes on her.

"It's a relatively new thing," she replied uncomfortably, and she turned to leave, now having all the ingredients, only to run into his chest and knock herself off-balance.

She stumbled back, but he caught her by her elbows, keeping her from crashing into the shelf behind her. She looked up, meeting his pale blue eyes, and she was reminded of how pretty they were as she squeaked out, "Thanks."

He gave her a slight nod before releasing her arms, and she was about to hurry away when his voice stopped her.

"I urge you to be cautious around Black and his friends," he said, and she gazed at him quizzically. "They aren't the best of people to hang around with, Cassie."

"No offense, Avery, but I've heard the same thing about you and your gang," she replied, suddenly testy, and he looked faintly surprised, before his eyes narrowed. "So, thanks for your concern, but no thanks."

And with that, she walked away, her pace quicker than normal as she all but threw herself into her seat, Black looking up questioningly as she willed her body to stop feeling so hot and sweaty.

"Everything all right?" he asked, and she grunted, getting out her Potions book and flipping to the section on Girding Potions.

When she didn't reply, instead busying herself with the potion instructions, Sirius looked across the room and met James's eyes, giving him a slight nod.

Understanding perfectly, James turned away and waited for Avery to come back with their ingredients, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.

* * *

"So, how was working with Black?"

Cassie looked up from feeding Little Leaf a packet of wood lice to see Lily crouch down next to her, her emerald eyes curious as the bowtruckle scampered around in the grass, chasing down the tiny insects. (Cassie had formed a bond with the little tree-man ever since their first interaction in Care of Magical Creatures two weeks ago, and though they had moved on to learning about nifflers and Professor Kettleburn had released the bowtruckles back into the wild, she still snuck to the borders of the forest to give him treats at the end of class).

"Fine, surprisingly," she said, frowning. "He's actually really good at Potions."

Lily nodded thoughtfully. "That's good."

They watched Little Leaf swallow several lice until Cassie asked, "How was Remus?"

"Very helpful," the other girl replied neutrally. "And he's very nice."

Cassie hummed an agreement, and they went back to watching Little Leaf until she had to ask, "You're not mad at me, are you? For working with Black?"

Lily looked surprised. "Of course not," she said truthfully. "Why would you think that?"

Cassie shrugged, wishing she hadn't said anything. "I dunno, you always just seem so…disapproving of them."

"I'm not saying I like them," Lily said hastily. "But I've just noticed that all of you have been hanging around each other more, and I was just curious, I guess."

"Er…okay. Cool."

They fell into silence once more, until Lily sighed, leaning closer. "Listen, don't tell Mar I told you this…but she fancies Black. And I'm just worried for her. I've heard rumors since term started about him running around with a different girl every week, and, well, I don't want her to fall for him only to get dropped for another." She suddenly looked to Cassie imploringly. "You've started hanging around with him, Cassie, and I know I shouldn't ask this of you, but I don't want to see Mar get hurt. If the chance ever arose, and he starts fancying her back…will you tell him to not try any funny business with her?"

"Erm, Black and I aren't really that close…" she began, but internally groaned when Lily gave her a pleading look. "All right, if he starts getting interested, I'll tell him."

Lily smiled. "Thanks, Cass."

The bell tolled across the grounds then, and the two gathered their bags and began to head back to the castle for dinner, Little Leaf chirping a goodbye behind them. They kept up casual conversation on the way, but Cassie was distracted when she looked up and saw two Ravenclaw girls who were in their class staring back at her over their shoulders. When she met their eyes, they giggled and turned away, and she frowned, wondering what that had been about.

She ate with the girls that night, and had just spooned a generous amount of beef stew into her bowl when a smattering of owls flew in, showering a few students with late mail or copies of the _Evening Prophet._ A handsome tawny owl landed before Lily, and she dropped a Knut into the pouch tied around its leg before it deposited a copy of the _Prophet_ and flew away.

Cassie began to eat, not expecting any mail (she had received her birthday gift from her parents that morning, which had consisted of a pouch of Galleons to "buy herself something nice," and a brief note from her father that just said: _Happy Birthday – Father_ ), and was only a bite in when she heard Lily gasp.

She looked up, and saw that all the blood had drained from the other girl's face, and her eyes were wide and scared at whatever she had read on the front page of the newspaper.

"What is it?" Alice asked urgently, putting her goblet down and leaning forward. "Lils, what's going on?"

"Cassie," the red-haired witch said hoarsely, and her tone nearly made her heart stop. "Cass…"

Abandoning her stew, Cassie grabbed the newspaper out of the other girl's grasp and read the headline, printed in big, bold letters: **BRUTAL ATTACK ON MUGGLES INSTIGATED BY WIZENGAMOT MEMBER'S SON**

Suddenly feeling very cold, Cassie began to read the article:

 _A mere two hours ago, an anonymous tip was received by the Auror Office in response to what was later described as a "savage" attack on a group of Muggles in Cokeworth._

 _Aurors responded to the scene immediately, and arrived to find "…absolute pandemonium…[I've] never seen anything like it," as one source said._

 _Though details about the attack have not been made public yet, an official statement is to be issued in tomorrow's_ Daily Prophet. _However, one inside source managed to share a few details about the attack:_

 _Eight Muggles in total were attacked, and though it has yet to be confirmed, it is highly suspected that the Cruciatus Curse may have been used. The attack appeared to be indiscriminate, like most others, indicating that this was a hate crime against nonmagical people. All eight Muggles survived, and are now healing in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and will have their memories erased as soon as the Department of Magical Law Enforcement takes their statements._

 _The biggest shock of this horrific attack, however, is the reveal of the instigator behind it. It was reported that four wizards and/or witches were involved in the crime, with three of them wearing masks, yet the fourth was not. This wizard, the source says, happened to be none other than Wizengamot member Lukas Alderfair's son, William Alderfair._

 _It is known to the Wizarding community that William Alderfair is an avid supporter of the anti-Muggle terrorist You-Know-Who (_ for more on his activism in the anti-Muggle and Muggle-born movement, see pg. 3), _and though Lukas Alderfair has never explicitly stated his stance on the matter, one can assume through his policymaking decisions and court judgments that he is not as impartial as we suspect_ (for more details, see pg.7).

 _The source claims that, "…'e was the one not wearing the mask, that William Alderfair. I've seen many a Dark witch and wizard in my days, but this one…'e was different. Jumpin' around, screamin', cheerin', laughin' 'is 'ead off. Crazed, 'e looked to me. Deranged."_

 _Though the attackers were not caught, a new warning is to be administered along with the report tomorrow morning of the activities of You-Know-Who's followers, and Minister of Magic Harold Minchum "is adamant that the attackers will be apprehended," the source says._

Reported by Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent of the _Daily Prophet_ and the _Evening Prophet_

Cassie put the newspaper down slowly. Alice and Marlene, who had squished beside her to read the paper, as well, were staring anywhere but at her, and Lily was still quite pale in the face. She took a sip of pumpkin juice, not tasting it at all, her ears beginning to ring.

She looked around, and noticed that many people were starting to give her suspicious, dark, even frightened looks, and hushed conversations were beginning to spread like wildfire around the hall, as people finished reading the article on their own papers.

Cassie got to her feet calmly, and without a word to anyone, she turned and walked out of the hall, completely numb to everything happening around her. She hadn't the heart to care about the stares and the murmurs at this point, and her feet carried her slowly back to the common room, through the portrait hole and up the stairs into her dormitory.

She opened her trunk, not even registering what she was doing, and dug out the box that contained the clockwork locket. She extracted the locket, staring at its shiny silver surface, the red ruby winking up at her, before taking out the note from her brother that was left in the box.

 _Say the word 'sparks' and the locket will open. – Will_

Her heart squeezed when she read the word 'sparks.' Her brother had given her that name when she was five and had accidentally set off one of his whiz-poppers, catching her hair aflame briefly before her mother had put it out using her wand. Holding the locket in her palm, she said very clearly, "Sparks."

There was a whirring noise, and then a click, and the locket sprang open, revealing many gears and cogs on the inside that did indeed look like a Muggle clock. The little machine started up, and a voice began to issue from it, neither male nor female, neither loud nor soft, and she listened as it began to sing:

" _A thousand years' slumber,_

 _In a tomb beyond light._

 _If Darkness adds to its number,_

 _The world shall fall to night."_

The voice was haunting, and when the song ended, her skin broke out in a cold sweat, and for a long time she knelt there on the floor of her dormitory, the song playing over and over in her mind.

She had no idea what had possessed her brother to enchant it with something so meaningless, so _stupid._ His gift wasn't thoughtful – it was worthless. And that was it, she realized. That was why he had gotten it for her. Because it was nothing. _She_ was nothing.

Grabbing the box from the floor, Cassie hurled it with all her might against the wall, letting out an angry howl and feeling a sick satisfaction when she heard it crunch and saw that it had left a hole where it hit.

Anger such as she had never felt raged inside of her, and she began to tear her clothes out of her trunk, throwing them around the room and kicking at her bedposts as unadulterated fury channeled through her blood, making her see red. She took the locket and smashed it on her bedside table, hardly noticing that it didn't break at all, just resealed itself. She opened the topmost drawer of the table and enclosed the locket within it, the final slam of the drawer seeming to snap her out of whatever fit she had just gone into.

She stood there for a minute, panting, and finally, when she felt the tears coming on, she sank down onto her bed and curled up like a small child, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest.

As she lay there, gently rocking herself to go to sleep before any of the sadness, the betrayal, the fear of what tomorrow would bring came on, she thought with some misery that this might just be the worst birthday of her life.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **And if you didn't notice, this is only part I of the 'worst birthday' arc. There's only going to be two parts, so dear Sirius and the maybe-possibly-joint birthday party will be next time (after all, Cassie never technically agreed to it...yet?)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Worst Birthday Part II_**

 **xx**


	12. The Worst Birthday Part II

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Sorry for the wait, but this chapter is extra long, so I hope it makes up for the delay!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, wickedgrl123, Litwinter, ChizomenoHime, The Wishing Well, gr8rockstarrox, MyNightWish, leafromlalaland, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: The Worst Birthday Part II

The smell of baking pumpkin was thick in the air the next morning, and preparations for the Halloween feast were well under way by the time the Marauders made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Professor McGonagall could be seen Transfiguring many silver spoons into live bats, while Professor Flitwick Charmed them to float above the House tables, the winged creatures flitting around the dull, cloudy sky the ceiling depicted outside. Hagrid would periodically lumber into the hall, rolling pumpkins nearly the size of the giant man's torso in front of him and handing them off to Professor Vector, who then used her wand to carve designs into the pumpkins' flesh.

Many students had not yet awakened, which had been to the Marauders' benefit, as there was less chance of their conversation being overheard, and they knew just what their subject was going to be about that morning – or rather, whom.

"What time does Alderfair usually wake up?" James asked, his knee bouncing in agitation, and he cast yet another impatient look to the doors of the hall.

"She'll come down when she's ready, James," Remus said reasonably, taking a calm sip from his tea and trying to act as if he weren't just as anxious as his friend.

Sirius gave a light snort. "I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't show at all," he said, shaking his head, and he paused in the midst of biting into his toast when all three cast him annoyed looks. "Oi, I'm not saying it in a bad way!"

James stabbed at his eggs angrily. "I bet half that rubbish isn't even true. That Skeeter woman will make up anything to get people to read her tosh."

Remus looked surprised. "You know her?"

The other boy nodded slowly. "She's fairly new, from what I've heard; she was an intern for the _Prophet's_ gossip column a few years back, when she graduated Hogwarts, but she didn't get any recognition until she wrote some rotten article about the corruption of Aurors – she tried to go after my dad during all that, so that's how I know about her, from him."

"She sounds vile," Peter grumbled into his goblet, and James nodded in agreement.

"Shame people actually believe what she writes, though," he said darkly. "And the popularity of the story is only going to make things harder for Cassie."

Remus shifted uncomfortably, wishing he could find Cassie and see how she was handling everything. They had been too wrapped up in planning their next prank at dinner last night to see her leave the hall, and by the time they had managed to read the article, she had already disappeared to her dormitory for the night, and her prolonged absence was worrying him.

They fell into silence and continued to eat when a trio of fourth-years came and sat in close proximity to them, near enough so they could listen to their whispering, and they all froze when they heard the topic of their discussion.

"Terrible, isn't it, about that Muggle attack?" One girl said, and the boy and girl sitting with her both nodded. "I wonder what the Minister is going to say about it; this seems like a big case."

"I just hope those Aurors catch the bastards who did it," the boy grumbled. "Those kinds of people are demented for doing something like that."

"Isn't William Alderfair that one fifth-year's brother?" the other girl asked, and when the two nodded, she tossed back her platinum hair in obvious disdain. "How sad. I would be _ashamed_ if I had a brother like that, the little—"

"D'you really want to finish that thought?" James said loudly, turning to stare at the three, and the girl immediately flushed, though her expression remained indignant.

"I never took _you_ for a Death Eater supporter," she shot back, and James's expression turned dark, but Sirius intervened before things got ugly.

"Oh, stuff it, Blondie," he said, quite rudely, and she looked highly affronted, while her friends just gaped. "Go sit somewhere else and keep your irrelevant comments to yourself."

The girl gave him a withering look, but she heeded his advice and stalked away down the table, her friends hurrying in her wake, and Remus gave him a reproachful look.

"You shouldn't have said that," he said, though he had to remind himself to unclench his fists as the dark-haired boy snorted.

"She shouldn't have been a twit," he retorted, and Remus didn't respond, knowing that he was right, to an extent.

They looked up from their plates when they heard footsteps fast approaching them, and Alice Fortescue was suddenly there, out of breath and clearly flustered.

"Have you seen Cassie?" she asked without preamble, and when they shook their heads, she let out a distressed noise. "Oh, Merlin, we can't find her _anywhere!_ She was sleeping when we came in last night, but when we woke up this morning, she was gone! I've checked everywhere I thought she could be, but I can't find her, and I'm so worried—"

"Alice, hey, calm down," Remus said gently, and the girl plopped onto the bench beside him, now looking on the verge of tears. "I'm sure Cassie's fine; she probably just needed some time to herself."

"I don't think she is, though," she protested. "You didn't see her last night; she didn't react to the news at all! She just walked off, and when we got back to the dorm, her stuff was everywhere, and there was a hole in the wall, and—"

She broke off, burying her head in her hands, and they all looked on in alarm as she began to sniffle. "I shouldn't have left her alone! I wanted to give her space, but I _knew_ she needed me, or someone, and now she's gone!"

The Marauders exchanged worried glances, and Remus put a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder, saying, "Don't blame yourself, Alice. You were just trying to give her time to sort things out. Any friend would have done what you did."

She nodded tightly, scrubbing at her eyes and standing back up, giving Remus a watery smile. "Just let me know if you see her, all right?'

Remus nodded. "Will do."

With another grateful smile, she walked to her usual seat down the table and joined the very anxious-looking Marlene and Lily, who must've entered after her, and James gave the other three a knowing look.

"Good thing we know where to find her," he said, and they all leaned in as he reached into his robes.

Pulling out his wand and a blank piece of parchment paper, he held it in his lap and tapped the tip of his wand against it, muttering, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good…"

* * *

The sun was just clearing the tree-tops when Cassie had awoken that morning, and for a moment, she lay there peacefully, her mind blissfully blank as she stared at the clouds rolling in from the east. They looked like rainclouds, and she thought about how cliché it would be if it were to storm on Halloween night, but the dull ache that had begun to grow in her chest upon awakening was already dragging her spirits down, and she suddenly wanted nothing more than to sink into oblivion again just to escape it.

She knew she was not angry; no, she had gotten that out last night, and she cringed when she remembered the hole in the wall, and the disaster zone she had left in her wake before collapsing in bed. In all honesty, what she felt was more…resign, than anything. It was like last night had been a wake-up call for her. There was no hope, no more will that she could sway her brother back to the Light. He was gone. Truly, irredeemably, irrevocably gone.

She suddenly itched to be out of this bed, out of this room, to walk freely before all the stares and whispers started up again, and she swung her feet onto the floor, sitting for a moment and trying to wipe off the remnants of last night's makeup. Her eyes had been practically glued shut, and her face felt crusty, and she finally resorted to creeping into the washroom to rinse it all off, as a handkerchief didn't seem to be doing the trick all that well.

Being very careful not to disturb anyone, she collected her strewn things off the floor and returned them to her trunk, wincing when she saw the well-sized dent in the wall and promising that she would repair it later. After slipping into a pair of jeans and an oversized jumper, she grabbed her wand and headed down to the common room, relieved to find it empty.

Fancying a walk by herself on the grounds, she walked out into the corridor and began to wander down to the ground floor, enjoying the solitude and quiet. Even the portraits on the walls remained silent, most of them dozing in their frames still, and she had managed to work her way down to the first-floor undetected until a stern voice rang out behind her.

"Miss Alderfair!"

A flicker of apprehension went through her when she turned and saw Professor McGonagall striding towards her down the corridor, but she couldn't find it in her to really care if she wasn't technically supposed to be roaming about the castle this early. Instead she only said, as politely as she could, "Yes, Professor?"

The strict witch came to a stop before her, and Cassie waited indifferently while the professor looked her up and down, her lips pursing at whatever she saw.

"Come with me," she ordered, and Cassie had no choice but to obey, following the professor for a short ways until they entered a room that had to be her office. It was a small study that boasted a cheery fire, and a large latticed window that overlooked the training grounds and the Quidditch Pitch, and the professor took a seat behind a handsome mahogany desk, motioning for Cassie to do the same.

She sank into a comfortable velvet seat, and watched as Professor McGonagall waved her wand, a tea kettle soaring into the fireplace and hovering over the flames. The professor then pushed a silver tin towards Cassie. "Have a biscuit, Miss Alderfair."

Cassie took one, more out of politeness than anything, and hesitantly bit into it, not really tasting it at all as the witch studied her with calculating dark eyes, shrewd and intelligent. Though the professor was not that old, Cassie felt as if she were being scrutinized by someone of the same caliber as Professor Dumbledore, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, finishing off the biscuit and discreetly brushing the crumbs from her clothes.

"How is your term going so far, Miss Alderfair?" she asked suddenly, and Cassie blinked, staring at her Head of House.

"Er…all right, I guess," she said, unnerved by her intense stare. "Could be better, but could be worse."

McGonagall nodded slowly. "Indeed. And how are your studies treating you?"

"Fine," she said, cringing when it came out more like a question. When she didn't elaborate further, the professor frowned.

"And what about Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

At this, Cassie's head snapped up, and her eyes narrowed. "Why?" she asked suspiciously. "Did Professor Carlisle tell you that I was an incompetent, uncouth fool?"

McGonagall looked startled by the vehemence in her tone. "Not at all, actually. She said you were as good as any other student she is teaching."

"So average, at best," Cassie said, leaning back and crossing her arms. "I reckon that's as good as I'm going to get, though."

Professor McGonagall didn't respond, only gazing at Cassie with an indecipherable look that pricked at her skin irritably.

"With all due respect, Professor, I'd rather be alone right now," she said, suddenly tired. "Thanks for the biscuit."

"Sit down, Miss Alderfair," she said firmly when she made to get up, and Cassie wavered before settling herself into the chair again, trying hard not to scowl at her professor.

The kettle had begun to whistle, and McGonagall waved her wand once more, producing teabags and cups from a cabinet behind her and filling them up with the water from the kettle, before pushing one toward Cassie.

She accepted the tea grudgingly, waiting for it to cool some before drinking, but as she breathed in the fumes, she instantly felt more relaxed, her frayed nerves soothing down some, and she looked up when the professor began to speak again.

"Lavender and sage," she said, gesturing to the tea in Cassie's hands. "I practically lived off the brew until all of my entry exams were over with. It has astounding calming capabilities, and I find it to be far more practical than any potion."

Cassie nodded, taking a sip of the tea and feeling some of her muscles relax. She hadn't realized how tense she was, though after everything she had been through in the past twelve hours, it wasn't that much of a surprise.

"Miss Alderfair," the professor said seriously, and Cassie looked up anxiously, seeing her dark eyes filled with something that resembled concern. "I would like you to know that should you ever need anything, my door is always open."

Cassie lowered her teacup, her throat burning, but not from the tea. She suddenly wished to scream, or yell, or cry, but nothing came past her lips, and she could only sit there, tears welling in her eyes and her fingers beginning to tremble, wondering why this was all happening to _her,_ why _she_ had to be the one to deal with this mess, to pick up the broken pieces her brother had left behind. It wasn't _fair._

"I never want to see him again," she burst out, her voice choked with suppressed tears. "He's a monster. I wish I never knew him."

She bowed her head, embarrassed that the older witch was seeing her break down like this, but she looked up when she saw a handkerchief being offered to her from across the desk. She took it, dabbing at her eyes and trying to steady herself with deep breaths, and for a long while, only the flames in the hearth could be heard, until the professor spoke once more.

"War can do a great many things to people, Miss Alderfair," she said solemnly, and Cassie looked up, the professor's almost haunted expression gazing back at her. "It divides us, or unites us, and as much as we like to deny it, we all choose a side in the end. All we can do is hope that one day it will be over, and we can go back to what we were before, or build something new from the outcome."

Cassie stared into the witch's dark eyes, and for some reason she got the feeling that she was speaking from experience as she gave her a small, sad smile.

"You've been a strong and smart student since you were eleven, Miss Alderfair," she continued gently, and Cassie was amazed at how maternal she sounded. "Your will to keep your head high in the face of such turmoil is admirable, and I have the utmost confidence that you will be able to get through this, as well."

She bit her lip, looking down at the handkerchief clutched in her hands at the professor's praise. In any other circumstance, she would have keeled over at hearing the stern witch dish out a compliment, but right now, all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of gratitude, mingled with the raw ache of a sharp sadness.

"Thank you, Professor," she said quietly. "I want to believe in that for myself, too."

Professor McGonagall gave her a genuine, albeit stiff smile, before glancing at the clock on her desk. "Breakfast starts soon, Miss Alderfair. I still expect you to be in attendance for all of your classes today."

Cassie blanched at the mention of lessons, and seeing all of her classmates, for she was sure they had all read the article at this point, and Professor McGonagall must have sensed this, for she added, "However, if at any point during the day, you feel too, shall we say… _ill_ to attend, I may just happen to not pay attention to the roll."

Cassie returned her small smile, trying to convey her gratitude through the simple expression, and the professor seemed to understand, waving a hand to dismiss her from the office.

She had just reached the door, her hand on the knob, before she turned back to McGonagall, a sudden question occurring to her. "Professor?"

McGonagall raised her thin brows, placing a pair of spectacles upon her nose just as she brought forth a stack of papers to grade, and Cassie hesitated, until she said, "What is it, Miss Alderfair?"

Shaking off her reluctance, she said, "Do you really think there's going to be a war?"

The professor looked taken aback by the question, blinking once, before saying, "Let's hope it does not come to that, Miss Alderfair." She suddenly sighed, looking very weary. "But I fear that one has been building for a long while, and only time will tell where we go from here."

Not satisfied with that answer at all, but not wanting to pester her further, Cassie simply nodded. "Thank you, Professor. Have a nice day."

She exited the office and shut the door behind her, letting out a long breath as she thought about what to do next. Her stomach rumbled heartily, the biscuit having done nothing to quell her hunger after not eating dinner the night before, but she wasn't ready to face the attention the Great Hall would bring.

Fortunately for her, she knew exactly where to go.

* * *

Pandy had been ecstatic when Cassie had entered the kitchens, bowing deeply and immediately sending other house-elfs off to prepare her a meal worthy of a king.

The house-elf chatted at her as she spread strawberry marmalade on her toast, and she was glad for the distraction as she listened to his enthusiastic rambles, unaware of another presence until Pandy let out an excited squeak.

"Masters Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew!" he trilled, and Cassie froze, feeling the bite she had just taken stick in her throat. "A welcome surprise, indeed!"

"Hey, Pandy," James said from behind her, and she refused to turn around, only drinking from her goblet as she heard the house-elfs scurrying off to accommodate the four newcomers. "And Alderfair, a pleasure as always."

"What are you doing here?" she said, unable to keep the silent plea from her voice as they all sat around her, Pandy rushing off with promises of more food.

"We followed you," James said unabashedly, and she glared at her plate, suddenly not hungry anymore.

"Good for you," she said sarcastically, shoving away from the table. "Now go find somebody else to stalk."

"Not so fast!" he said, grabbing hold of her wrist, but she wrenched it away, scowling.

"Do you not understand that I just want to be left alone right now?" she snapped. "And your concern is touching, Potter, really, but save it for someone who's actually your _friend."_

"Sorry to rain on your parade, princess, but I _do_ actually consider you a friend," he said, glaring at her, and that shut her up quickly. "Huh?"

"Told you he was gonna say it first," she heard Peter whisper, which only confused her more, though her irritation was still winning out.

"Look," she said, sighing. "I get that you want to help or whatever, but there's nothing you can do. I'm sorry."

"We just want to make sure you're all right, Cassie," Remus said, his pale green eyes sympathetic. "You don't have to talk about your feelings, or whatever else, if you don't want to. Just let us – and Alice and the others – be here for you."

She nodded, her throat squeezing tight, and suddenly all the fight drained out of her body. "Okay."

"You may want to hurry up and get dressed, though," Sirius said, shoving an entire sausage link in his mouth and chewing. "Lessons start soon."

She made a face at him. "Anyone ever tell you that it's gross to talk with your mouth full?"

He gave her a smirk that made his grey eyes light up with mischief. "I doubt I'm any worse than you."

"Ouch," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. "I'm going to change. Will, er…"

She trailed off, suddenly uncertain, and Remus gave her a knowing wink. "Don't worry. We'll wait for you in the common room."

Relieved, she waved before bounding out of the kitchens, unsure of what the day would bring, but hoping that it wouldn't be so bad with someone else at her side.

* * *

October 31st, 1975 was quickly going down as one of the worst days in the history of Cassie Alderfair's life.

Every class was the same: students whispering when she walked in, staring at her no matter where they sat, and every professor avoiding her like the plague, never calling on her to answer their questions, and letting her sit with the Marauders (as James had requested) despite having an assigned seat. Professor McGonagall was the only one who still treated her normally, though she had given her a tiny nod at the beginning of the class that reminded her of their conversation that morning.

The Marauders, it seemed, had taken it upon themselves to become her personal bodyguards that day, sitting next to her in every lesson and walking with her in the corridors, blocking out most of the attention by entertaining her with stories and the various pranks they had played on different students.

"Oh, see that git Romano? He called me a tosser fourth year for chatting up his girlfriend, so I jinxed his skin green for the rest of the week…"

"Remember when we Charmed that bar of soap to chase Snivellus down the corridors second year? That was the best…"

Cassie could tell that Lily, Alice, and Marlene wanted to talk to her, ask if she was all right, but she couldn't find it in herself to approach them. She didn't want any of their sympathy, and she knew that they had no idea what to say to her, anyway. So it was only with a mildly guilty conscience that she continued to let herself be surrounded by the Marauders while they gave her surreptitious looks all day, and by the time Double Transfiguration let out, she was feeling slightly better compared to that morning.

Of course, she could only remain above it all for so long before the façade started to crack, and reality seeped through.

"If they don't stop looking over here and giggling, I'm going to sacrifice them to the giant squid," she grumbled, glaring at the two Ravenclaw girls that had laughed at her yesterday after Care of Magical Creatures.

She was currently sitting underneath a beech tree near the shores of the Black Lake with the Marauders, the wind buffeting them with a sharp chill that was far too reminiscent of winter, in her opinion. Fortunately, Remus had conjured some flames in a jar to provide warmth, and she sat as close as she could to it without catching herself aflame, the heat seeping into her bones deliciously.

"Who?" James said lazily, looking around and ruffling his hair, and Cassie gestured with her chin to the Ravenclaws. "Them."

Sirius let out a derisive snort, and they all turned to look at him, his grey eyes narrowing at the sight of the two girls.

"Mary MacDonald and Dorcas Meadowes," he confirmed. "The two biggest airheads I have ever had the misfortune to meet."

"Aren't they Ravenclaws, though?" Peter asked, frowning. "They're supposed to be smart."

"Ravenclaw isn't just about intelligence, mate," Sirius said, shaking his head, "else they'd be in Hufflepuff."

"Well, I'm about to tell them to sod off," Cassie huffed. "They were doing this after Care of Magical Creatures yesterday, too, and it's starting to get bloody annoying."

Remus gave her a confused frown. "That was before dinner, wasn't it?"

Cassie nodded. "Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Means they had something against you before the news about your brother came out," he said, and Cassie didn't respond, for just then, the two Ravenclaws walked past as if they had been summoned.

"Hey, Dorcas, how much do you wanna bet on which one she shags first?" One of the girls said, and Cassie guessed that one was Mary as the Ravenclaw flashed her a predatory smile, her white teeth nearly sparkling against her dark skin.

The girl walking beside her was very pretty, Cassie noticed with some disgruntlement, but the sneer she gave her made her features warp into something very unattractive. "My money's on Lupin. Poor girl nearly drools every time she sees him."

They both giggled shrilly, walking away, and Cassie made to get up, her face and ears burning, but Remus tugged her back down.

"Don't bother with them, Cassie," he said disdainfully. "They're not worth it."

"What is wrong with them?" she demanded, sinking back to the ground slowly and glaring after them. "Out of everything, they choose to mock me for being a slag?"

"Moony's right, Alderfair," Sirius said, twirling his wand between his fingers and giving her a reassuring look. "They're just being shallow twits."

Cassie huffed, leaning back against the tree and crossing her arms. "I just want to know how many Galleons are on Remus and I shagging."

They all roared with laughter at this, Remus being the loudest, despite his burning face. She wished she could stay out here all day with them, but the break was almost over, which meant that Defense was next, and she felt a tug of nausea in her gut, wondering if she should take advantage of McGonagall's blind eye for the day.

James seemed to sense her line of thought, for he punched her on the arm lightly. "Break's over soon, Alderfair. You ready for Defense?"

"I'd rather scoop my eyes out with a spoon, but sure, I guess," she sighed, and he chuckled before offering her a hand up.

"Hopefully it won't be too bad," he said bracingly, as they began to walk back to the castle, a low rumble of thunder following them in. "Just let me know if Avery starts bothering you again."

She frowned at the mention of Avery, wondering what he could mean by that. "Speaking of, how was partnering with him in Potions yesterday?"

He gave a noncommittal shrug, tousling his already wild hair again. "Oh, not too bad. After I told him to piss off and leave you alone, everything was fine—"

"Wait, you did _what?"_ Cassie stared at him incredulously, stopping in the Entrance Hall and forcing the rest of them to stop walking, as well. "Why did you do that?"

James looked surprised. "He's a Slytherin git, Cassie, and he has a thing for you—"

"Oh, Merlin, please stop talking." she said, holding up a hand. "You think Avery _fancies_ me?"

"On top of other things," he said evasively, and when she was about to retort, he cut her off. "I did you a favor, Alderfair; you'll thank me in the long run, especially now that he knows about your brother."

"You're an idiot, Potter," she snapped, too thrown by the conversation to think of another comeback, so she just started up the marble staircase, the Marauders hurrying behind her.

"It's to your benefit, Alderfair," James argued, his long legs quickly catching up to her as he looked to her imploringly. "Avery's a bully, and—"

"And it's none of your business!" she said. "You don't have the right to control who I associate with—"

"Considering I'm your _friend_ , your well-being is my concern—"

"Just stay _out_ of it—"

"Oi, shut it, you two!" Sirius said, and Cassie turned on him, noting his tight jaw and irritated gaze. "Or I'm going to muzzle you if you don't stop bickering."

James and Cassie both glared at him, but they didn't talk the rest of the way to Defense, James ruffling his hair agitatedly while Cassie fumed silently.

"Today is a work day," Professor Carlisle announced when class started five minutes later, and Cassie and Remus made faces at this as her icy gaze swept over the room, landing briefly on Cassie before skirting away. "You will be silent, and diligent, for you will turn in a foot of parchment at the end of class detailing the history and use of the Cruciatus Curse."

There was a ripple of murmurs around the class, and from the corner of her eye, Cassie saw Lily raise her hand.

"But Professor, aren't the Unforgivable Curses not supposed to be taught until seventh year?" she asked, concerned, and Professor Carlisle gave her a cold stare.

"As I said at the beginning of the term, Miss Evans, I must prepare you for what is out there earlier than ever," she said, her voice flat and firm. "And we are not going to go into extreme specifics regarding the curse, for some of you may already be familiar with it."

Her steely eyes fell upon Cassie at this, and just like that, the façade she had been trying to maintain all day cracked.

"Please, spare us all the suspense and just say it," she snapped, glaring into the professor's frightening eyes and feeling nothing but anger and disgust. "Everyone in this sodding classroom already knows who you mean, so there's no need to be so dramatic about it."

The room seemed to collectively hold its breath as the two witches stared each other down. Finally, the professor said, in her most chilling voice, "Fifty points from Gryffindor, and I will see you in detention tonight, Miss Alderfair. Seven o'clock sharp."

"Can't wait," she said sarcastically, and she thought she heard Potter snigger from somewhere behind her.

Professor Carlisle's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything further, instead returning to her desk and ordering them to start on their work.

Cassie made no move to get out her book or parchment, her fingers trembling slightly from her sudden outburst. She could hear people whispering about it around the room, but they were an annoying buzz in her ears. She wondered what was happening to her; she never used to be so volatile, so quick to anger, but lately, everything seemed to be setting her off. Blinking back angry tears, she reached into her bag, just as a piece of paper landed on her desk.

Expecting it to be from one of the Marauders, she took it and glanced around, frowning when they all seemed too preoccupied with their work to notice her. Her eyes slid to Avery, but he was digging through his book bag, trying to find a quill.

Confused, she opened up the parchment and froze when she saw a drawing of a skull and serpents, just like the tattoo Will had branded on his forearm. Underneath the hastily drawn picture were the words: _Ready for yours?_

Her heart thumping painfully, she looked around again, her eyes catching on a huddled group of Slytherins in the back consisting of Severus Snape, Kanin Mulciber, and a troll of a girl by the name of Peggy Sloane. Mulciber gave her a wink and tapped the inside of his left forearm, and Cassie spun around in her seat to face the front, her stomach churning.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to get started on her work, trying to ignore the sneers directed at her and hoping that she was only imagining the skin of her left forearm tingling.

* * *

"This is _rubbish!"_ Cassie hissed, as soon as they were released from Defense, and she stalked down the corridor with the Marauders beside her, heading down for a short dinner before returning to the classroom for her detention. "Of _all_ the nights to give me a detention, it has to be the Halloween feast, _of course."_

She shook her head, her frustration making her pace quicken, and she could hear Peter beginning to pant as he tried to keep up. "Why does she hate me so much? What have I ever done to her?"

"She's probably jealous that you don't have the personality of a brick wall," Sirius said, and though her lips twitched, she couldn't find the humor in the joke.

"There's _got_ to be a reason," she said, reaching out and pulling Peter up by the sleeve of his robe to walk next to her so he wouldn't die from exertion. "I just don't know _what."_

"I'd tell you to ask her yourself, but she'd probably curse you," James said, and Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Yes, very helpful, James," she said. She still hadn't quite forgotten what he said about Avery earlier, but right now, she had more pressing issues to deal with. "It _has_ to be about my brother. That's the only explanation that makes sense!"

"But how does she know him?" Remus asked, shifting his heavy bag to his other shoulder and wincing slightly, as if he were sore. "You said she was only a few years younger than your parents at school, right?"

"Yeah," she said, frowning. "But they've never mentioned her, besides that letter my mum wrote."

"We should break into her office," James mused, raising his eyebrows when Cassie and Remus whirled on him with disapproving looks. "See if she's hiding anything."

 _"No,_ James," Remus said firmly. "I'm not having a repeat of third year."

Cassie glanced between the two as Sirius and Peter snickered at some memory. "What happened in third year?"

"James broke into Binns' office to change a grade he got on his Statute of Secrecy essay," Peter explained.

"A feat that resulted in six weeks' worth of detentions, and Filch's hatred for him after he stepped on Mrs. Norris when he got caught," Sirius chortled, and Cassie shook her head in disbelief.

"Your level of idiocy is truly astounding," she remarked drily, and James gave her an arrogant smile.

"At least it keeps things interesting," he countered, which she had to agree with silently as they entered the Great Hall. The feast had already begun by the time they arrived, and the live, haunting decorations and cheerful atmosphere only served to put her in a fouler mood, especially when Peter mentioned hearing a rumor about Professor Dumbledore having hired a troupe of dancing skeletons to perform during the festivities.

They headed for their usual seats at the Gryffindor table, and as they passed a group of muttering fourth-years, Cassie saw one girl with platinum hair turn and glare at Sirius, her cheeks faintly pink. Sirius gave no indication that he had seen her, but James shot her a nasty look that made her turn away quickly and whisper to the rest of her friends.

Deciding that it wasn't her business, she continued on with them and sat in between Peter and Sirius, her usually voracious appetite somewhat quelled when she saw an abandoned copy of that day's _Prophet_ resting nearby, the moving black-and-white photograph on the front depicting a quite heckled Harold Minchum addressing dozens of reporters.

Seeing her staring at it, Remus swept the paper away discreetly while James began to dish food onto his plate. "Want some sausage casserole, Alderfair?"

"No, thanks," she said, letting out a sigh when James didn't listen to her and instead heaped a large amount of said casserole onto her own plate.

She spent most of dinner poking at her food, occasionally taking a bite whenever she saw James staring at her, but remained silent while they carried on easy conversation, mostly about Quidditch, as the first game of the season was drawing near.

When seven o'clock crept closer, she stood up and bid the Marauders farewell, suddenly a bit anxious at the thought of not having their company anymore. Shaking off the feeling, she began to make her way to Professor Carlisle's classroom, stopping briefly when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

Looking up, she saw that Alice, Lily, and Marlene had just entered the Great Hall, smiling and looking quite relieved as they rushed up to her.

"Hey, do you want to eat with us?" Lily asked, placing a hand on her elbow, and Cassie shifted awkwardly.

"Erm, I would, really, but I have that detention…" She trailed off when their smiles faded, and she didn't miss the look of hurt that flashed across Alice's face, which only made her feel ten times worse.

"Next time, then," Marlene said, giving her a look that she couldn't read, but Cassie nodded. "Yeah. Next time."

Led by Marlene, the three girls moved to the table, and she exhaled heavily before trudging out of the Great Hall, mentally preparing herself for the doom that was to come from her detention with Carlisle.

When she reached the Defense classroom, she knocked on the door first, but when there was no answer, she pushed it open cautiously, peering inside. The classroom was empty, but her eyes wandered toward the back, behind the chalkboard, where a small stone staircase led to a door that she presumed was the professor's office, which was slightly ajar.

"Er, Professor?" she called, trying to keep the note of resentment out of her voice and failing miserably. "Professor, it's Cassie Alderfair. Here for detention?"

When there was still no answer, she sighed and made her way to the stairs, climbing them slowly in case the professor suddenly emerged from her office. But she reached the door without incident and knocked hesitantly, and there was a squeak of hinges as it opened further, allowing her access to the office.

She stepped inside warily and took in her surroundings, annoyed to find that the professor wasn't even in this room, either. Carlisle's office, much like her classroom, was devoid of any decoration, the drab stone walls boasting only a few wax candles perched in brass brackets, a shabby wardrobe, and another desk cluttered with parchment, quills, and empty ink bottles.

She came closer to the desk, noticing a few papers that looked much like the ones she had seen the professor working on at the beginning of term: maps, or diagrams, maybe, and she felt her interest pique. Now, Cassie had been warned by her parents and friends alike that she was too nosy for her own good, but in her mind, where would the world be if people just minded their own business all the time?

Thus, it was with little reservation, and great curiosity, that Cassie approached Professor Carlisle's desk and shuffled through the topmost layer of papers, her eyes taking in black ink lines that ranged from hastily drawn sketches to minutely detailed drawings. It was one of the finer pictures that led Cassie to begin to make sense of what she was seeing, and her brows contracted low when she saw a hand-drawn map depicting the borders of the grounds and the edges of the Forbidden Forest. However, this map went into far greater detail about the forest than she knew, and her finger traced over lines etched into the parchment, some with question marks attached to them, and others scratched out completely, with little notes nearby that she read in interest.

 _Route only leads to acromantula nest. Discontinued._

 _Path strays too far into centaur territory. Discontinued until further notice._

Cassie frowned down at the maps, baffled. What was Professor Carlisle doing in the Forbidden Forest? Though her mind wrote off some excuse about her looking for Dark creatures to show the class, her gut was telling her something much different, and she shuffled another paper, where four names were listed in neat writing:

 _Salazar Slytherin - FOUND_

 _Helga Hufflepuff - FOUND_

 _Rowena Ravenclaw - ?_

 _ **Godric Gryffindor**_

She stared at the paper, beyond confused at this point. Why did the professor have a list of the four Hogwarts founders? And why did the names all look like that? The questions kept coming the longer she looked, until a sudden voice behind her made her jump about a meter in the air.

"What _exactly_ do you think you are doing?"

Cassie whirled around, her heart dropping to her toes when she saw Professor Carlisle standing in the doorway, her nostrils flaring and her face whiter than she had ever seen it. The witch's cold eyes were locked onto the papers in Cassie's hands, and she threw them on the desk guiltily, swallowing hard. "Professor, I—"

"Get out," Professor Carlisle snapped, and Cassie flinched at her tone. "I said, get OUT!"

Too stunned to respond, Cassie ducked around the professor and trampled down the steps, hearing the office door slam shut behind her with a sharp snap. Her heartbeat pulsed madly as she all but fled the room, and she skidded to a stop in the corridor, wondering what had just transpired.

No answer came to her, however, but the only thing she could think of as she made her way back to Gryffindor Tower was that James had been right in his guess earlier: Professor Carlisle was hiding something.

* * *

"Remind me again why I'm awake at such an ungodly hour?"

"Because," Remus smirked at him from across the room, buttoning his shirt, "it's your birthday, and as your mates, we're seeing to it that you make the most of it."

Sirius groaned, flopping back onto his pillows. "An extra hour of sleep wouldn't kill me, Moony."

Remus chuckled, finishing tucking in his shirt and moving on to his tie. "True. But you wouldn't want to miss your first present now, would you?"

Sirius gazed suspiciously at his friend. "Depends on what it is."

"Oh, trust me, you're going to like it. James and Peter are setting it up right now." Going off the roguish grin on Remus's face, Sirius had a feeling that it was either going to be something brilliant, or utterly absurd. He leaned more toward the latter in this regard, after remembering his present last year of balloons with his face on them that complimented or insulted whomever was holding them at the time.

Friday had crept up too fast for the boy's liking, and despite knowing that he was officially sixteen, his birthday was always something he'd rather forget. Being at Hogwarts and having his friends around certainly made it tolerable, and all the attention he received wasn't that bad, but the inevitable _"happy birthday, you ungrateful son – be glad we haven't disowned you yet"_ message that would be arriving with the family owl that morning at breakfast would certainly dampen his spirits, yet again. He wasn't one to much care about what his parents had to say, but unfortunately, they always knew just where to hit to make it hurt.

"Are you going to get out of bed or not?" Remus's exasperated voice cut across his musings, and Sirius sat up with a dramatic sigh, stretching and climbing out of his comfy four-poster.

"Yes, Mummy," he said in a falsetto, and Remus groaned, tugging on his robes.

"Just meet us in the Great Hall," he said, picking up his book bag and starting for the door. "And if you try and go back to sleep, I _will_ jinx braids to grow out of your nostrils again."

Sirius blanched, recalling that day with a great sense of horror, and he all but fled into the washroom as Remus laughed behind him.

Thirty minutes later, after he was dressed and groomed into rugged handsomeness (at least, that was how he described himself), he headed for the common room, only to nearly barrel into someone standing at the bottom of the staircase.

"Ow! Really, Black?"

Cassie Alderfair was staring at him, disgruntled and rubbing her side where his bag had knocked into her.

"Sorry, Alderfair," he said, sort-of meaning it when she waved him off, turning back to the stairs. "Why are you standing here, anyway?"

"I'm waiting for Remus," she said, and he noticed that she seemed oddly distracted, fiddling with her hair and biting her lip the whole time, and he frowned.

"He already left," he said, gesturing to the portrait hole, and she sighed, shaking her head.

"Naturally," she grumbled, before giving him a slight nod. "Thanks."

"No problem," he said, starting across the room, before he was suddenly seized by a reckless impulse, and he turned around to face her again. "Y'know, you can walk with me, if you want."

She seemed startled by his statement, her dark eyes wide, and even he was taken aback by his offer, though he didn't show it, keeping his casual countenance while she looked him over.

"Okay," she said, shrugging, and he was surprised at how easily she had agreed, given their brief but bitter history. She fell into step beside him as they made their way out into the corridor, and he suddenly floundered for something to say, not quite knowing how to approach her (which was a first for him, and something he did not quite like at all).

"Er, today's my birthday," he blurted out, and immediately cringed when she cast him a mildly amused glance from the corner of her eye.

"I know," she said coolly. "Remus told me."

"Right." He nodded, cursing himself for being so stupid. He had never been rendered incoherent by a girl before, but something about her was throwing him off. He still felt some guilt over being such a berk to her before, and he figured that that must be it as they fell into a natural silence, walking side by side to breakfast.

"Happy birthday, by the way," she said, when they reached the marble staircase, and he glanced over to see her giving him a small smile. "Hope it's a good one for you."

Sirius snorted as they began to descend the steps. "My birthdays are not exactly things I look forward to during the year."

"Oh, right." She nodded sagely, a small smirk playing on her lips. "I forgot your mates like to embarrass you on them."

He laughed unexpectedly at this, and she grinned; usually his family was to blame for his sourness on the day, but he forgot that Cassie knew nothing of his home life, and he found himself suddenly grateful for her ignorance.

"I think my favorite was second year," she continued, "when they got all those gnomes from Hagrid's garden and convinced them to follow you around for the whole day alternating between rude versions of 'Happy Birthday' and Bonnie Banshee's 'I Don't Need Amortentia to Love You.'"

Sirius groaned as she laughed again. "I thought everyone had forgotten about that by now."

"Some things never die, Sirius," she said, and they were too busy laughing to realize that she had just called him by his actual name for the first time.

"There he is!" Peter called excitedly from the entrance to the Great Hall, and the blond boy gave Sirius a wicked smile before dashing off to the Gryffindor table, robes streaming behind him.

"If I need to make a quick escape, will you cover me?" he asked, suddenly anxious, and though she looked highly amused, she nodded. "You got it."

Bracing himself, Sirius entered the Great Hall, and let out a loud groan when he saw the Gryffindor table laden with table cloths featuring his head blown up to the size of a small Muggle car, smiling and winking up at the diners as they all turned and laughed.

Sirius laughed along with the rest of them, his composure easy and relaxed as he began to make his way down the table, nodding and waving to people who called out birthday wishes to him. Most of them were younger girls who instantly blushed and squealed when he acknowledged them, and he brushed his hair out of his face, not able to keep the smile from his lips when he saw his friends waiting for him in their usual seats.

About halfway to them is when he began to notice a shift in the atmosphere, and suddenly people weren't calling out to him anymore, instead huddling together and whispering, their hissing voices following him until he looked over and saw Cassie walking with her head down, looking highly uncomfortable at all of the attention she was now receiving, and not just from the Gryffindors. The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables were eyeing her suspiciously, and the Slytherins jeered at her from across the hall, tapping their arms suggestively and laughing at her. His eyes flicked in the unbidden direction of his Slytherin brother, and Sirius met Regulus's eyes almost instantaneously, though his little brother had the sense to glance away and go back to talking to his creepy friends.

"Ignore them," Sirius said lowly, and he gripped her elbow when she didn't appear to be listening to him. "Alderfair, hey. They're going to forget about it in a week, and they're all a bunch of prats, anyway. They don't matter."

"That's easy for _you_ to say," she said miserably. "You don't have a brother that goes around and tortures innocent Muggles!"

Sirius cast another look over his shoulder at Regulus, who was now picking at his food in silence, and he felt his heart twinge a bit as he remembered what his brother had confessed to him over the summer.

"Hopefully not," he muttered, but she didn't seem to hear him, instead letting him lead her to a place in between him and James.

"Like the decorations, Padfoot?" James grinned, looking highly pleased with himself, and Sirius guessed that he was the ultimate perpetrator behind all of this as he raised his goblet mockingly.

"I think you have the best taste in this school, Prongs," he said, pointing out a napkin with a mouse-sized Sirius on it doing cartwheels, and they all snickered.

The morning post suddenly arrived, and Sirius looked up, a tight ball of dread building in his stomach as the Black family owl swooped toward him, carrying a sealed letter after depositing one for Regulus at the Slytherin table.

Sirius caught the letter half-heartedly, debating over whether he ought to read it at that moment and get it over with, or if he should wait until he was alone in the dormitory at some point. Deciding it would be best to rip off the bandage now, however, he grit his teeth and opened the letter.

 _Sirius Orion Black –_

 _You are to come home for the Christmas holidays. We have many important matters to discuss regarding this family and your future as a Black heir. Congratulations on reaching sixteen years of age – only one more year until you are free to live amongst those Muggles and Mudbloods you are so keen on associating with._

 _Orion and Walburga Black_

He snorted, taking out his wand and muttering a short _"Incendio,"_ watching the flames consume the letter until it was nothing more than ash, and he swept the smoking pile onto the floor, scowling.

"How bad?" James asked carefully, gazing at his friend intently over the rims of his glasses, and Sirius shrugged.

"The same as it always is," he said, taking a swig of pumpkin juice and trying not to throw something. "'Be home for the holidays, we're counting down the days until you're old enough to leave,' all that rubbish." He shook his head. "Merlin, if anything _I'm_ the one counting down the days before I can get out of that hellhole."

His friends all looked sympathetic, but Cassie was glancing between him and James in confusion, her mouth twisted into a puzzled frown.

"Erm, was that…your parents?" she asked timidly, and though Sirius stiffened, he nodded.

"Yep, that was Father Git and Mother Bitch, as I like to call them," he said, and though her mouth twitched, her expression was understanding.

"Purebloods," she scoffed, and Sirius smirked before gesturing to James.

"Not all of them are like that, thank Merlin," he said, and James grinned sheepishly. "James's parents are a blessing; more like a mum and dad to me than my own."

"It's true," James said. "My mum even treats him like the favorite son."

"Family is strange," Cassie said, and they all nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of," Remus said, clearing his throat and looking to Cassie, dropping his voice, "have your parents mentioned anything about your brother?"

Now it was Cassie's turn to look highly uncomfortable. She shifted in her seat, her leg brushing Sirius's, and he could feel it bouncing up and down as she shook her head.

"They haven't said anything," she said. "The last communication I had with them was on my birthday." She let out a derisive snort then. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were just too busy planning a party in his honor to see how I'm taking it, though."

There was a tense pause, before she sighed and raked her hair out of her face. "Sorry. I guess I'm not used to talking about it yet."

Remus waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it. We're here for you if you need anything, remember that."

He elbowed Peter in the side at this, and the blond boy choked on his porridge, his face going bright red. "Oi! I wa' nodding!"

She gave them all a soft smile. "Thanks, really. You lot didn't have to look out for me, but…I'm glad we made that alliance."

James looked as if she had just announced the birth of his firstborn child, and he positively beamed at her before Remus told him to shove off with the creepy smile.

As they were leaving the Great Hall twenty minutes later, heading for Charms, Sirius felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see his brother standing there nervously.

"Regulus," he said cordially, raising a brow. "What do you want?"

"A word," Regulus replied, just as coolly, and his face fell into the perfected Black mask, haughty and distinguished.

Sirius looked over his shoulder to where the others were standing and saw them staring, the three Marauders wary and Cassie curious, her eyes darting back and forth between the two. Sirius waved them on, and James took Cassie's arm, leading her and the rest away before he turned back to his brother.

"Go on, then," Sirius said, motioning to him. "Speak."

Regulus's eyes, a darker grey than Sirius's, narrowed at his tone, but he jerked his chin to an alcove opposite the Great Hall, and Sirius followed, betting all the loose Sickles in his robes that he didn't want any of his Slytherin mates to see him talking to a Gryffindor.

They stopped in the alcove, and Regulus clasped his hands behind his back, inhaling, while Sirius lounged against the wall behind him, crossing his arms and eyeing his brother haughtily.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday," Regulus said finally, and the words sounded forced, though both of Sirius's brows rose now.

"Thanks, Reg," he said, "but you know you could've said that out there and gotten it over with in two seconds, yeah?"

Regulus scowled. "Typical," he muttered. "Every time I say something to you, you just act like you can't even be bothered."

"Be glad I'm even speaking to you at all," Sirius sneered, suddenly annoyed. "I wouldn't want to ignore Mummy's favorite son and have him get upset."

"Piss off," Regulus snapped, his face going red, and Sirius smirked, raising his hands.

"Whatever you say, brother," he replied. "But thanks for the birthday wishes. Don't let Mum know you said it, though."

He backed out of the alcove and began to walk away, but Regulus's voice stopped him again.

"Watch out for Alderfair, y'hear?" he said, and Sirius turned around slowly, seeing Regulus staring at him intently. "That thing about her brother has stirred quite the excitement with the Slytherins, and I know how protective you Gryffindors are."

Sirius gave him a slight nod, tucking that information away carefully in his mind. "Will do. See you, Reg."

Regulus nodded back. "See you, Sirius."

And just like that, the two brothers separated, like nothing had ever happened.

* * *

"No."

"Alderfair, listen—"

"Nope."

"Cassie, please—"

"Ask me again."

James was on his knees in front of her armchair in the common room later that night, but she kept her eyes on the page she was reading in _The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5,_ trying not to let her obvious glee at having James Potter begging at her feet show.

The bespectacled boy sighed, hazel eyes wide and beseeching as he said in his most dramatic voice, "Cassiopeia Alderfair, will you accompany the Marauders to the joint birthday party we are having tonight?"

Cassie smiled sweetly. "No."

"But you just said to ask you again!" James got to his feet, now looking thoroughly annoyed, and she smirked up at him.

"True, but I didn't say I would say yes," she countered, and he rolled his eyes.

"But it can't be a joint birthday party if one part of the 'joint' isn't even there!" he cried in exasperation, and Cassie closed her book calmly, sighing.

 _"If_ I said yes…" She held up a finger when he opened his mouth. "What would we do?"

"No spoiling the surprise," he said, winking, and she groaned, throwing up her hands.

"Oh, just go with him already," a prickly seventh-year girl said from next to her, and she glared at them from where she was sat writing an essay. "You two are giving me a headache."

Cassie blushed, but James just grinned, giving the girl a mocking bow. "As you wish, m'lady."

The girl rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were the faintest hint of rosy, and James smirked at Cassie before whisking her out of the common room.

"So, where's this party at?" she asked when they started down the corridor, and he wrinkled his nose at her. "Must you be so nosy?"

"Yes, actually."

James sighed. "Just wait a few more minutes."

It turned out that the party was being held in the kitchens, and when they entered though the pear door, they were greeted by the other Marauders, who turned and raised bottles of butterbeer at them.

"You made it!" Peter exclaimed, his eyes bright. "And you convinced Cassie to come!"

"It was more begging than convincing," she said, shrugging when James laughed. "But yeah, I'm here."

"Come join the party!" Sirius said, patting the seat on the floor next to him, and she sat down, immediately reaching for the platter of chips set up in the middle of their circle while Remus opened a butterbeer and handed it to her.

"Happy birthday to our friends, Sirius and Cassie!" he said. "May this year bring them happiness, and whatever other barmy shite is said in these things."

Cassie laughed, and clinked her bottle with the rest of theirs in a toast before downing the foamy, warm liquid, her insides going fuzzy and her fingertips hot.

"All right, Exploding Snap or Gobstones?" Peter asked. "I personally vote for Snap."

"I second that," James said, raising his hand.

"No way, Gobstones!" Remus said, affronted, and Sirius nodded. "Yeah, Gobstones! We play Snap too much."

"Cassie?" Peter looked to her with hopeful eyes. "Be the tiebreaker here."

"Um…neither," she said, and shrugged when all the boys looked at her strangely. "What? Gobstones is boring, and I've never bothered to play Snap."

"Then there's our answer!" James said, clearing the floor of their food and drinks while Peter got out the deck of cards. "Snap it is; Sirius, bust out the firewhiskey for this one."

Even Remus and Sirius agreed to play, but only because they were convinced that the cards were going to explode in her face the most, as Remus had told her with no shame.

After three hours, countless games of Snap (Remus's prediction had proved true, and she now had the scent of ashes clogged in her nose), more food than she thought possible, and two shots of firewhiskey (which she knew she was going to regret later – she was terrible at holding her liquor), the house-elfs brought them an extravagant birthday cake, with sixteen candles on each side so she and Sirius could blow them out. Remus ended up having to light them, as James was too drunk to use his wand properly and had almost torched Peter, and after they all sang a horribly out of tune and off-key 'Happy Birthday', the two blew out their candles. She didn't know what Sirius had wished for, or if he had even wished at all, but as she had closed her eyes and blew, she thought: _I wish this moment here was my life. Laughter, and friends, and joy…I want this every day._

The party had begun to wind down after that. Sirius had taken the leftover firewhiskey and stumbled out of the kitchens, while James had taken to drawing on the passed out Peter's face, giggling like a small girl as he spelled out the word 'PRAT' on his forehead, though the 'r' had come out backwards. Remus had taken to sitting by the fireplace, a cup of coffee in his hands, and Cassie made her way over to him, trying not to show just how badly a mere two shots affected her as she sat beside him.

"Thank you and your mates for being terribly persistent and forcing me to come," she said, throwing her arms around his neck and smushing his cheek against hers, and she felt him grin as he chuckled, patting her back lightly. "You're welcome."

She suddenly yawned, and she got back to her feet, stretching. "Bed sounds nice. I'm going to go to sleep."

"You need any help getting there?" he asked amusedly when she swayed, and she made a face. "I can manage."

"All right, Cassie," he said, shaking his head. "G'night. Be careful."

"Yes, sir." She saluted before leaving the kitchens, starting up the stairs that would take her to the ground floor but stopping when she nearly tripped over something. "Sirius?"

She could just make out the boy's silhouette in the faint light, and the strong smell of firewhiskey burned her nostrils when she heard him shift on the stone steps. "Cassie?"

His voice was thick, but not from the alcohol, and she frowned. "What are you doing?"

He took another drink from the bottle, the liquid sloshing around before he said, "Drowning my sorrows."

A small chuckle escaped her lips. "And why is that?"

He tilted his head up to look at her, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw his silvery gaze glittering and his mouth skewed in a smirk. "My family hates me, I hate them, and this is the fifth birthday I've had in a row that I'm reminded of that sorry little fact."

His voice was bitter and angry, and Cassie felt her heart twinge, not even realizing any of this until now. She knew that he had a brother, and she assumed that it had been the boy who wanted to talk to him that morning, but she had never known how… _lonely_ he was. He was like gravity, and the Marauders were spinning in his orbit, but outside of Hogwarts she had no idea what his life was like, whether he was a planet falling out of line with the sun, or just another cold point of a star in the sky, wandering and alone, and that quite bothered her.

She climbed up a few of the steps until she was across from him, and she let her back slide down the wall, curling her knees to her chest so he would have leg room. She could feel him staring at her, and she looked up, meeting his eyes through the dark and seeing them wide and disbelieving.

"Er…what is this?" he asked, and she lifted her shoulders slightly before dropping them, not really understanding why she was doing this either, but somehow feeling that it was the right thing to do.

"Nobody should have to be alone on their birthday," she said simply. "So…I'm gonna stay with you, until you tell me to sod off."

He didn't reply, and she thought he was just going to get up and walk away, but after a few wavering seconds, he shifted into a more comfortable position, and she could feel his shoe resting just shy of her own as they sat there together in the dim basements.

No other word was spoken that night, but there was no need. They could feel the sudden shift as easily as one drawing back the curtains and allowing light to shine in an otherwise dark room, and from that moment on, Cassie Alderfair and Sirius Black could safely say that they were friends.

* * *

 **Please review! Your comments mean the world to me!**

 **I didn't mean for this chapter to get so long, but it begins to set up major plot points, so eh. I'll deal with it.**

 **Next Chapter: _The First Match_**

 **xx**


	13. The First Match

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Sorry for the wait, but I've been trying to write this in the little spare time I have between finals and work and life. On the bright side, five more days until high school graduation! So look forward to a lot of updates this summer :)**

 **Thanks to all the new favorites/follows (and first community for this story!), and as always, thank you to my reviewers from last time: Skysword, wickedgrl123, heroherondaletotherescue, ChizomenoHime, gr8rockstarrox, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Les Spring Hamilton, 9632mp, LKyellow, Raven that flies at night, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: The First Match

The Sunday following the joint birthday party saw Cassie perched in an uncomfortable position on her bed, struggling to stay awake through the reading Professor McGonagall had assigned them on the Inanimatus Conjurus Spell. Weak sunlight was filtering through the clouds outside, playing shadows across the pages of her copy of _Intermediate Transfiguration,_ and finally, she snapped her book shut with a groan, untangling her limbs from her former seating position and lying flat on her back, staring at the red canopy above her.

Boredom was making her restless, and she wished Lily, Alice, and Marlene would come back from whatever they were doing and save her from reading another word of Emeric Switch's borderline obsession with Transfiguration. She had barely seen them since Friday night, before her detention with Professor Carlisle, and she couldn't help but feel a little miffed that they kept running off without her.

Thinking of her detention led her thoughts back to that night, and her mind turned once again to the papers she had seen in the professor's office. The maps and the list of the Four Founders were gnawing at her brain, poking at her meddlesome nature with a long stick, and the more she mulled it over, the more she was starting to like James's idea of breaking in and seeing what she was hiding.

 _You can't,_ an insistent voice in her head chided. _What if you were caught? You're already on thin ice with her, and think about what your parents would say if you got expelled for doing such a thing!_

 _But I_ know _she's hiding something!_ Her stubborn half persisted. _I just have to find proof!_

 _Just leave it alone!_

Cassie sighed, rubbing her hands over her face and feeling immensely thankful that Marlene had backed off on the makeup thing, as she quite enjoyed not having to worry about smearing it or accidentally wiping it off.

Deciding that sitting in her dormitory alone wasn't much fun, she traipsed down the stairs into the common room, her eyes searching for a familiar sight of red waves, blonde curls, or cropped brown hair, and she stifled her disappointment when she saw none of those, but perked back up when she noticed someone else.

"Afternoon, gentlemen." She made her way over to where the Marauders were sitting, Peter shifting on the couch to make room for her between him and Remus, and she sat down, copying Sirius and putting her feet up on the table, as well, imagining Lily scolding her if she ever saw such a thing and frowning at the thought.

James made a rasping, squeaking noise in greeting, and she turned to him, raising her brows.

"Sorry, James, what was that? I don't speak Tea Kettle," she said wryly, and the others snickered as the messy-haired boy scowled, sinking lower in his armchair and glowering into the hearth.

"He screamed himself hoarse at practice this morning," Sirius explained from where he was slouched in his chair too, head tilted back and eyes closed in clear exhaustion. "Poor bloke sounds like a mouse getting trod on now."

"Don't let Lily hear him, then," she said, smirking when James cast her a sharp look. "She's scared of mice – she might hex him into cheese or something."

James opened his mouth to retort something, but when all that came out was a puff of air, he pursed his lips and looked away again, crossing his arms and pouting like a child.

"So was practice really that bad, or is he just being overdramatic?" she asked, turning back to Sirius, but the boy didn't answer, already asleep in his seat. Her eyes roved over his face, taking in the fluttering eyelids and serene expression, and she noticed how much more peaceful he looked in his sleep, more…open. His dark hair spilled over his forehead and tickled his neck, just brushing the tops of his shoulders, and she took in the smooth olive skin of his exposed throat, traveling to the collar of his Quidditch robes, which were slightly undone at the top.

She nearly jumped when Remus cleared his throat, and she tore her eyes away from Sirius, praying to Merlin that she wasn't red while simultaneously cursing herself for staring so openly. It was hard to deny Sirius's obvious looks, but she suddenly felt like the girls who would crowd around him and coo their compliments and pleasure, and the thought made her want to vomit.

"Apparently Weatherly and James got into it at practice," Remus said, speaking for the unconscious Sirius and the sulking James, and she tried to ignore the spark of mischief in his eyes after noticing her blush. "Weatherly was being daft, as per usual; how that bloke ever became captain is beyond me."

James squeaked in agreement, and Cassie nodded, now caught up to speed. "I see."

"I think the stress is getting to them," Peter said, lowering his voice and gesturing to the other two boys. "The first match is this Saturday, and I've heard Ravenclaw put together a solid team this year."

Cassie wrinkled her nose. "Please, Aubrey may be top of the seventh-year class, but he couldn't tell the difference between a Quaffle and the Snitch."

Peter nodded sagely and Remus snorted, and James glanced over at her with newfound admiration at the statement.

"You follow the House matches?" he asked, sounding like he had lived in a chimney all his life, and Cassie scoffed.

"I only know Aubrey's the Ravenclaw captain because Marlene went out with him last year, and her little brother's on the team," she said, quirking her brow. "And everyone's been talking about this match since the term started, so no points for me in the Quidditch category. Sorry."

Peter looked as if she had insulted his mum, and James seemed, if possible, even more upset, turning back to the fireplace and positively brooding. Remus snorted again, thumbing through the pages of the book he held in his hands, and Sirius remained asleep, though his head was now lolling on his shoulder and snores were beginning to emanate from his open mouth.

"Oi, this isn't your dormitory," Cassie said, kicking his foot lightly to startle him awake, and he sat up and glared at her. "You look exhausted; go sleep in an actual bed."

"I am perfectly content here, thank you," he said, throwing his legs over the opposite arm of the chair and giving her a petulant look.

She rolled her eyes, her retort lost when her gaze landed on something else. "Hey, guys!"

She leapt to her feet when she saw her three friends emerge from the portrait hole, and they stopped walking as she went over to meet them, beaming.

Marlene whispered something in Lily's ear as she approached, and she watched in confusion as the blonde girl scurried away up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, not once glancing Cassie's way. Shrugging off her retreat, figuring she had homework to catch up on (after all, Mar was the queen of procrastination), Cassie bounced up to Lily and Alice.

"Where have you all _been?"_ she said, immediately reverting to her whiny voice. "I've been _dying_ without you here."

Alice looked highly uncomfortable, only giving her a forced smile, and she guessed Lily was the source of her unease, for the redhead had her prefect manner perfectly in place, disapproving frown pulling down her lips and her green eyes sharp and flaring.

"What's wrong, Lils?" she asked. "Catch anymore second years throwing Dungbombs down the corridors?"

If possible, her face got even darker at the joke.

Cassie looked between the two, her smile fading as confusion began to take hold of her. "Seriously, what's up with you lot?"

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but Cassie internally groaned when Sirius spoke from directly behind her.

"All right, Evans?" he said, and Cassie turned to see him smirking at the prefect mockingly, trying to block out how fantastically tousled he looked right then, coupled with his signature smirk that made first-years melt into goo. She mentally slapped herself then, wondering what in the bloody hell was getting into her that day, but she was spared the agony of reflecting on his looks when Lily replied.

"Go away, Black," she said scathingly, and Cassie's brows rose at her harsh tone; though Sirius was James's closest mate, she usually treated him with a slightly warmer attitude than the latter, yet now his name held as much venom as when she spat _Potter._

Sirius looked to Cassie incredulously before turning his gaze back on Lily. "Whatever it was that happened, I swear James and I weren't involved."

Lily glared, her eyes turning to green slits, and Cassie nudged the smirking boy with her elbow. "Sirius, I advise you to walk away now."

Clearly sensing danger, he nodded and backed away, patting Cassie's shoulder bracingly. "I'll be sleeping if anyone needs me."

He hurried away from the trio as quickly as he could without breaking the languid grace of his stride, and when his Quidditch robes rounded the corner of the boys' staircase, Lily whirled on her accusingly.

"Since when do you call him _'Sirius?'"_ she said, her voice shrill, and Cassie blinked, trying to absorb what was suddenly happening and looking to Alice for support. The shorter girl was no help, however, as she had opted to stare at her shoes, and so she looked back to Lily, completely baffled.

"Since when do you care what I call him?" she asked, and Lily's face glowed red.

"Because Sirius Black isn't your _friend,_ Cassie!" she snapped. _"We_ are, though it seems as if you've forgotten that as of late."

"What are you—" _Oh._ "You think I've been avoiding you?"

Lily let out a frustrated noise. "Of course we think that, Cass! As soon as the news about your brother got out, you've completely ditched us for them! Sneaking off to the kitchens, returning to the dormitory at the crack of dawn, smelling like firewhiskey – I mean, what has _happened_ to you? Is this some sort of coping mechanism, throwing caution to the wind and running around with troublemakers who will place the blame on you as soon as you get caught?"

"They wouldn't do that to me," she denied immediately, though a spike of uncertainty went through her as she said it, something Lily must have picked up on, for she just looked at Cassie with utter disappointment.

"You know you can talk to us, Cassie," she said, much more quietly. "We've been waiting for you to open up to us this whole time."

"See, that's the thing, Lily," she said, suddenly angry. "I don't _want_ to talk about it. I don't want to hear about it, or see another damned article in the _Prophet,_ or even _think_ about it. This isn't something that a late night girls' talk can fix! And they get that – the boys, they take my mind off it, and _that_ is me coping with it!"

"Whatever, Cassie," Lily said, backing away and shaking her head. "Save the excuses. You can hang out with them if you want – I won't stop you."

She stalked away to the staircase, leaving her speechless, and she stared at Alice, feeling winded.

The other girl just shook her head. "I'm sorry, Cassie. I just—" She broke off, biting her lip, before saying, "I dunno," and following Lily up the stairs.

After standing for a few seconds in shock, she turned to the staircases and darted up the boy's, leaving behind the curious eyes that had followed the argument as she made her way to the room Remus had led her to not that long ago, finding it and opening the door quickly and slipping inside.

"Bloody hell!" Sirius jumped in his bed when she slammed the door shut, and she looked up to see him lying in his four-poster, covers pulled to his chin as he stared at her in alarm.

"Er, in any other circumstance, I would love a girl to come barging into my room while I'm lying half-naked in bed and looking like she wanted to punch something, but…" He trailed off when she glared at him, and he cleared his throat before asking, "What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she growled, throwing herself on top of Remus's bed and moving his things aside to make room for her body. She yanked off her shoes and turned on her side, facing Sirius from where he still was in bed, looking back to her quizzically, though thankfully having enough sense not to press.

"Whatever you say." He shrugged and got into a more comfortable position under the sheets, immediately closing his eyes and falling back to sleep in an instant.

Cassie huffed angrily, punching Remus's pillow into a firmer shape before closing her eyes, as well, willing herself to calm down. After all, if she wasn't welcome in her own dorm at the moment, then the Marauders' would have to do.

* * *

Lunch was tense, to put it mildly.

After James, Remus, and Peter had come up to the dormitory (Remus nearly screaming like a girl when he mistook Cassie for his clutter and attempted to sit on her), James and Sirius had gone into the washroom to shower (winking at Cassie the entire time and telling lewd jokes) and she had climbed out of Remus's bed to sit on the floor with him and Peter for a game of Snap before they headed down to the Great Hall.

She had calmed down a bit since earlier and was now relaying her and Lily's spat to Remus and Peter, gesticulating wildly the more agitated she got before having to throw down her cards, as they had begun to smoke warningly in her hands.

"I mean, what does she expect me to do?" Cassie asked, watching as Peter punched the air silently after winning the round from Remus (Peter, as it turned out, was the best at Snap, which explained why he always wanted to play and kept a deck of cards on him at all times). "Am I supposed to be moping around depressingly, casting anxious looks out my window anytime it rains? Do I have to act like I'm Moaning Myrtle for her to see that I'm 'trying to cope?'"

"She doesn't expect those things from you, Cassie," Remus said, grudgingly fishing in his pocket and handing over a chunk of chocolate to the gleeful Peter. "From what you said, I think she's just hurt that you're choosing to spend time with us rather than her and the others."

"Well, she can get over it," she grumbled. "It's not like I'm doing anything wrong."

"Oi, Alderfair!" Sirius shouted from the other side of the washroom door. "Cover your eyes! We're coming out!"

"About time!" she said, taking the proffered pillow from Remus and covering her face with it. "I always thought you and James would make a cute couple."

Sirius whistled from inside the washroom, and there was a suspicious slapping sound that elicited laughs before the door clicked open and she could hear the two boys begin to dress. She sensed Peter get to his feet and walk over to his trunk, but she jumped when she felt Remus's breath right on her ear.

"Do I need to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't peek?" he asked teasingly, and Cassie felt her face grow warm, and not just from the pillow.

"Ew, Remus!" she complained. "Why would I do that? That's creepy."

He snorted, a puff of air hot on her ear, and shivers raced down her arms. "I saw you staring at Sirius earlier, and don't deny it." She could practically feel his smug grin trained right on her. "Seems like the great Cassie Alderfair isn't immune to him, either."

"Oh, go boil your head, Remus!" she snapped, making the mistake of removing the pillow to give him a poisonous glare before remembering why it was over her face a second too late.

"Merlin's bollocks, Cassie!" Sirius yelped, and James let out a noise that resembled a shrieking bird, but the damage was already done. Thank Morgana and her lucky stars that they at least had knickers on, but the full effect of the scantily clothed James Potter and Sirius Black was now forever seared into her mind as she fell back, Remus nearly smothering her again with the pillow as the dormitory roared with laughter.

"Remus, end my suffering!" she moaned, her face blazing, but all she got as a reply was Remus's howling laughter, loud and bellowing. "I never want to see that much of them again!"

Although, as she reflected on the incident fifteen minutes later when they were walking to the Great Hall, the experience had not been entirely unpleasant. James and Sirius were good-looking, and fit from all that Quidditch, and their physiques had portrayed that quite nicely, in her opinion (not that she would ever tell them that, of course).

They had just begun to descend the marble staircase when a voice called out, "Potter!" and Cassie turned to see one of Marlene's many exes, Bertram Aubrey, approaching them from the opposite corridor, where she knew the direction of Ravenclaw Tower to be.

"Aubrey," James said as coolly as he could with his shot voice, nodding and pausing on the stairs, so people had to swerve around them to get past. "What's up?"

"I need you to pass on a message to Weatherly," the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain said, his voice confident and unwavering as he faced James squarely, though not unkindly. "Tell him I'm booking the pitch Thursday night, but he can have Friday morning if he wants."

"All right," James said. "I'll tell him."

Aubrey grinned slightly, clapping him on the shoulder before turning his eyes to the rest of them, starting when he met Cassie's gaze. "You're one of Marley's friends, right?"

"Also the Gryffindor with a Death Eater brother, but thanks for not dwelling on that part," she said, giving him a small wave, and to her surprise he laughed.

"Sorry," he said, chuckling, "I'm not laughing at you, but I'd forgotten how blunt you were when you spoke."

Her brows rose at this, and she felt her face flush slightly as he kept grinning at her. "Forgive me if I don't recall ever speaking to you; you and Mar were always very preoccupied anytime I was around."

He chuckled again, running a hand through his blond hair, which seemed perfectly styled by the wind, and she grimaced nervously.

"I think the one time we did you told me I had a pumpkin juice stain on my tie," he said, and she laughed when she suddenly remembered the incident, which had been a good seven months ago.

"I forgot about that," she said, quizzical. "How did you remember?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, opening his mouth to answer before Remus let out a particularly large and painfully fake sneeze.

"Whew, sorry," he said, rubbing his nose theatrically. "All this climate change going on…must be something in the air…"

"Some soup will fix you right up, mate," Sirius said, clapping Remus on the back before staring pointedly at Aubrey. "If you don't mind…"

"Of course," the Ravenclaw said gracefully. "I'll leave you to your meal. Don't forget to pass on my message to Weatherly, Potter, Black." He inclined his head to the two boys in turn before starting back up the staircase. "Nice chatting with you, Cassie!"

When he had disappeared back up the staircase, she turned to Remus, raising a brow, but Sirius was already ushering him to the Great Hall, with dramatic commentary on the sandy-haired boy's critical condition and crippling sinuses that made people edge out of the way. Rolling her eyes, she followed after them with James and Peter, who seemed to be communicating silently behind her back, and she grit her teeth, not surprised in the least if James had now taken it upon himself to chat with Aubrey as he had done Avery. The thought made her scowl, and she remained quiet as they entered the Great Hall, heading for the table and passing Lily, Alice, and Marlene in their usual spots – _her_ usual spot.

The three girls acted as if they were unaware of her presence as she slipped by them, but from the frowns on their faces and their stiff posture, she knew that they had seen her with the Marauders, and they were displeased.

Setting her jaw, she sat down with the boys and immediately began tossing food onto her plate, keeping her eyes determinedly on her cold cut so they wouldn't stray to where Lily sat. She was thoroughly exasperated by the redhead's behavior in regards to the Marauders and her new association with them, but she wasn't stressed about the ordeal. Lily's friendship with her was stronger than her hatred of the Marauders, and she would soon see that and apologize for treating her so harshly.

"Is it just me, or does Snivellus look greasier than usual today?" James rasped, his hazel eyes narrowed past Cassie's shoulder, and she turned to see Severus Snape slinking into the hall, making for the Slytherin table and taking a seat next to Mulciber.

In truth, Cassie couldn't tell that much of a difference; Snape was always greasy and dour-looking, though she had tried to keep her opinions on him neutral since he and Lily were such good friends. She knew of the silent (and sometimes not-so-silent) war raging between the boy and the Marauders that spanned back to first year, but she had no idea what had made them hate each other so much, and now she couldn't help her curiosity.

"What is it with you lot and him, anyway?" she asked, turning back to face James and Sirius and cocking a questioning brow. "Why do you hate him so much?"

"Because he's a slimy Slytherin git," Sirius said, as if that explained anything, and she frowned.

"Every Slytherin is a slimy git," she said, recalling that day in Defense last week and Mulciber's note to her. "But what makes him so special?"

"He's also interested in the Dark Arts," James said, looking to her pointedly. "A little too interested, if you get what I mean."

"Noted," she said drily, rolling her eyes. "Is that it? That's not a lot of reasons."

The Marauders all exchanged a dark look, before Sirius said, "Let's just say that he doesn't know how to keep his abnormally long nose out of our private business."

"And what kind of business is that?" she asked, leaning closer and meeting Sirius's grey eyes.

"Kind that you're not privy to," he replied sweetly, smirking at her, and she sat back, huffing.

"You're no fun," she complained, but all she received was a wink from him before their discussion returned to the upcoming match.

Cassie ate her sandwich slowly, her thoughts wandering. So much had already happened this year, it seemed, and the term was little more than halfway through. She didn't know how well she could take it if another Bludger of tragic news was beat at her head, knocking her world off its axis again, and she really didn't want to find out. But Professor Carlisle's mysterious maps and lists wouldn't leave her alone, until finally she couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Professor Carlisle is hiding something," she announced, cutting off Peter's ramblings of team stats, and they all stopped and stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Didn't I say that last week?" James said, and she nodded, abandoning her sandwich and leaning closer, lowering her voice.

"Yes, you did, but I have proof," she whispered. "If I can get my hands on it," she added as an afterthought, and the four boys exchanged a glance again.

"All right, I'll bite," Sirius said. "What did you find?"

"Maps of hidden trails in the Forbidden Forest," she said, watching their curiosity grow. "I think she's looking for something in there."

"That could be anything," Remus pointed out. "She could just be searching for some creature to show the class."

"I thought that, too," she said, "but I found something else that makes me think that that isn't the case."

"You're killing us with the suspense, princess," James moaned. "Just spit it out."

She shot him an annoyed look. "I'm getting there," she sniffed. "The other thing I found was a list of the Four Founders, but it was so strange. Next to Salazar Slytherin's and Helga Hufflepuff's names she had written 'found,' Rowena Ravenclaw's name had a question mark, and Godric Gryffindor's was bolded. Doesn't that seem odd to anyone else?"

"I dunno," Sirius said slowly. "Sounds to me like she's just really interested in the Founders."

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "You didn't see the list – I think she's trying to find something connected to each of the Founders, but I can't know for sure. Not unless I find something else in her office that proves my theory."

"Cassie, that may not be the best idea," Remus said, frowning. "That list could mean anything, and it sounds harmless to me."

"I agree with Moony," Sirius said, his grey eyes intent. "I think you're just overanalyzing things because you don't like the witch – not saying that you _should,"_ he added hastily when she threw him a glare.

"Remus and Sirius are right," Peter said, looking back to her apologetically. "It sounds like nothing, and you shouldn't risk your neck over it."

Cassie swallowed back her disappointment, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice before nodding. "All right, fine," she conceded. "I won't do anything. But if something else comes up…"

The others nodded, seemingly relieved, and she took another bite of her sandwich, only looking up when she felt James's eyes trained on her. He gave her a pointed look, and after pausing to decipher it, she nodded and went back to her meal, silently understanding what he had meant: _we need to talk._

When they had filled their stomachs contentedly, Remus drifted off to the library, saying he needed to study for some Ancient Runes exam coming up, and Peter followed after, asking Remus if he could proofread his Transfiguration essay. Sirius left for the common room, presumably to go back to sleep, leaving just her and James.

"Okay, spill," she said as they exited the Great Hall. Her eyes drifted to her normal seat with the girls as they passed, but to her relief and disappointment, they had already gone as she and James stopped in an alcove in the Entrance Hall, out of sight of the students streaming back to their common rooms.

"I think the map and the list of the Founders is sketchy, too," he said, and a thrill of excitement went through her. "There's definitely something off about Carlisle, and I agree that we should find out what."

"So you're going to help me?" she asked, and he nodded.

"As soon as we have a bit more information," he said, holding up his hand. "I don't want to go in there blind."

"Then we'll just have to keep an eye on her," she said, and he grinned, the same look of mischief lighting up his face as it did whenever he pulled off an exceedingly big prank.

"I guess so," he said, and they shook on it.

"Oh, and Cassie," he said, before they ventured out of the alcove, and she stopped, turning to face him questioningly. He looked sheepish, running a hand through his hair before saying, "I'm sorry about the Avery thing. I was just trying to look out for you, y'know?"

She quirked her lips at him in a wry grin. "I know, and I'm sorry for jumping down your throat about it," she said. "But I can look out for myself too, yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded, before looking at something past her shoulder and groaning. "There's Weatherly. I guess I should pass on Aubrey's message."

Cassie grimaced, turning to see the broad-shouldered Gryffindor Captain lumbering out of the Great Hall, his rock-like face set into a scowl as he headed back up the marble staircase.

"Best of luck," she said, patting his arm, and he winced before following Weatherly up the stairs.

She emerged from the alcove to hear two piercing giggles echo around the Entrance Hall, and she internally groaned when she saw Mary MacDonald and Dorcas Meadowes approaching her, predatory smiles on their glossy lips.

"I think you might have to take back your bet on Lupin, Dor," Mary said gleefully, staring at Cassie as if she were a bug she would desperately like to step on. "Seems like the Gryffin-slag is shacking up with Potter!"

This sent the Ravenclaw girls into a new fit of shrill giggles, and Cassie just stared at them coldly.

"Of course, you're _so_ right, MacDonald!" she said sarcastically, trying to match the pitch of her voice to theirs. "I mean, Lupin was last week, but Potter…well, they say it's good to have variety, right?"

She covered her mouth as she laughed as high as she could, and she felt a sense of smugness as the two girls gazed at her, dumbstruck.

 _"Adieu,"_ she sang, wiggling her fingers and starting up the stairs, hearing them whispering behind her, but she couldn't find it in her to care. Between rumors about her being a slag, or having everyone talk about the crimes of her brother, she'd choose being a slag any day.

* * *

The day of the match dawned clear and cold, and Cassie made sure to bundle up before heading down to breakfast. The other girls in the dorm were already gone, but this past week had become a sort of routine for her in the sense that she never saw them until they went to bed in the evening. Lily had yet to apologize for the argument, and Cassie had told herself that she would be just as distant from the girls as they were to her unless she received some sort of apology.

This had left her to hang around the Marauders all week, which only seemed to add more fuel to the fire, but what else was she supposed to do? She liked being around them when they weren't being immature berks, and she certainly wasn't going to be alone until they made up, which made the situation halt at an impasse for the time being.

She sat down with the Marauders in the Great Hall, her cheery greeting somewhat quelled by the somber atmosphere, and she looked round at them all, frowning. "What's gotten into you lot?"

"Shh!" Peter hissed, waving her off frantically. "We only just got James to shut up about the match!

At this, the bespectacled boy scowled, though Cassie noted that he seemed very pale. "Stuff it, Wormtail."

"James, you need to eat something," Remus said, gesturing to the untouched porridge in front of the boy. "You too, Sirius."

Sirius, despite looking as haughty and cool as ever, had only been taking small sips of gillywater, and she could tell that he was tense from his coiled muscles.

"'M not hungry," James mumbled, but he forced down a bite all the same, looking as if he were about to be sick.

"James, how are you possibly nervous?" Cassie asked, pointing her bacon at him. "You've been on the team since second year; surely you're used to the pre-game jitters by now?"

"I am!" he said, closing his eyes as if in pain. "But Weatherly is a complete duffer, and our team is terrible!"

"Oi, give us some credit," Sirius said defensively. "At least we're not Hufflepuff."

"Well, if it's any consolation, I believe that we can win," she said bracingly. "Just give it your all, and whatever happens, happens."

"She has a point," Remus agreed, and she looked to him fondly, pretending to faint. He only rolled his eyes in return. "Y'know, Cassie, sometimes I think that you have an ego as big as James and Sirius."

"Mine is far bigger than theirs," she assured, smirking. "I'm just not an arrogant idiot about it."

The comment launched an argument between the five over whose ego was biggest, and fortunately it seemed to loosen some of the strain on James and Sirius, for they looked considerably better ten minutes later when they headed to the pitch to change and prepare for that morning's match.

Remus, Peter, and Cassie took their time following them, and it wasn't until they reached the doors of the Entrance Hall that Cassie realized she was missing her red and gold scarf.

"Oh, bollocks," she grumbled, already feeling a hint of the biting winter chill and knowing that she would not last long out in the stands in this weather. "I'll catch up to you in a few, I'm going to nip back to the dorm and grab my scarf."

The two boys promised to save her a seat, and she headed back to Gryffindor Tower while they made their way down to the pitch, many other students beginning to follow them as they finished their breakfast.

Several minutes later, Cassie found herself back in the Entrance Hall, scarf wound tightly round her neck, and she was about to exit the castle when two figures caught her eye, partially hidden by the passage that led to the Slytherin common room. She started when she recognized the figures, her brows furrowing at the sight of Professor Carlisle talking to none other than Edmund Avery.

Swiftly checking to make sure no one was watching, she crept closer to the pair, obscured behind a column near enough to where she could hear their voices and see them. She peeked her head around the corner, watching as Carlisle crossed her arms, her height nearly matching that of Avery's and putting them at eye-level.

"Have you done any more research as I requested?" she asked, her voice flat and brisk, and Cassie saw Avery's shoulders lift in a noncommittal gesture, though his back was to her and she couldn't see his face.

"Not much," he said, his own voice neutral, controlled. "O.W.L year isn't exactly a stroll through the meadow."

Carlisle looked faintly annoyed, but she nodded. "See to it that it _will_ be done, Edmund. We cannot proceed if we don't know where to look."

"Yes, Professor," Avery intoned. "It will be done."

"Good." She gave him another curt nod. "Come; your classmates are expecting you, and unfortunately I must be in attendance for these foolish games."

"I'll be down in a moment," Avery said, and she saw him gesture down the passageway to the dungeons. "I forgot to grab something."

Carlisle nodded again before sweeping toward the great doors of the hall, and Cassie pressed herself flat against the pillar, holding her breath before the professor was gone in a swirl of black robes.

She let out a small breath, but shrieked and pulled out her wand when a voice spoke directly in her ear.

"I wouldn't think a Gryffindor would be the type to eavesdrop." She whirled to see Avery standing behind her shoulder, looking half-amused and half-irritated.

"I wasn't," she said automatically, knowing how stupid that was, and he raised his brows.

"And a liar, as well." He cocked his head, studying her with pale blue eyes, and she flushed to the roots of her hair.

"I may be a lot of things, but a liar isn't one of them," she said hotly, and he chuckled, raising his hands in surrender.

"Perhaps not, Gryffindor," he said, "but I know for a fact that your kind loves to have their noses in everyone else's matters."

"We all have our flaws," she countered, stowing away her wand, and he smirked. "Indeed, Cassie, we do."

There was a tense moment of silence before he asked, "What all did you hear?"

"That Carlisle wants you to do some research for her," she said honestly. "And it sounds like it's important."

"Yes, it is," he agreed. "It's an extra credit assignment for Defense; I'm at the top of that class for the fifth years, but if I'm not careful you or that Lupin boy could claim my spot."

Cassie scoffed. "Yeah, because I'm such a threat. D'you know how long it took me to get that Shield Charm perfect?"

"Yet your shield is the best," he countered. "The others are decent, but their lack of practice shows."

Cassie swallowed back her reply, wondering if the Slytherin was intentionally trying to get her off track with their conversation.

"So, what kind of extra credit assignment is this?" she asked instead, looking to him as innocently as she could, and he frowned, turning away and shrugging.

"Just the usual," he said casually. "'History of the Dark Arts,' obscure spells, all that tosh."

"Oh," she said, nodding like she was interested. "So you could research the Founders, right? I mean, each one of them would be fascinating to write about from a magic point of view, wouldn't they? All their achievements in spellwork, things like that?"

She watched his face carefully, and though it remained aloof and blank, she thought she saw the faintest shadow flicker in his eyes.

"That would be fascinating," he mused, nodding to her. "Thanks for the suggestion."

She gave him a toothless smile before stepping away. "Anytime."

And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

* * *

"About bloody time," Remus mumbled when she finally found him and Peter in the stands, panting hard and nursing some bruises after pushing her way through the crowds to reach them. "How long does it take you to get a scarf?"

She didn't reply, still too out of breath, and from down on the pitch a whistle blew, capturing the crowd's attention. The boys had managed to find good seats, and she looked down to see Madam Hooch standing on the field, her youthful frame tall and somewhat menacing, like a hawk, as the teams entered onto the field from opposite ends, the students cheering and booing in equal measure.

"And here comes the teams!" the student announcer, Charlie Jordan, said into his magically amplified megaphone, and the shouting grew louder. "On Ravenclaw, we have Peddleton, Raj, Kerpensky, Moss, Macon, Bosworth, and Captain Bertram Aubrey!"

Strong cheering came from the Ravenclaws and Slytherins, while the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs booed, flapping their arms at the opposing stands where students stood clad in blue.

"And for Gryffindor, we have McKinnon, Potter, Schaffer, Wood, Black, Hamilton, and Captain Michael Weatherly!"

Cassie screamed along with the Gryffindors, red and gold banners depicting roaring lion heads flying around her, and she only distantly heard Madam Hooch bark, "Captains, shake hands!" In the next moment, the players had all mounted their brooms, and after a sharp blow on the whistle, the match commenced.

"And they're off!" Jordan cried, his voice full of gusto as the Quaffle began to pass dizzyingly between the players, flying so fast and so high on their brooms that they resembled buzzing flies. "Kerpensky starts off with the Quaffle, passes it to Peddleton – McKinnon is on the chase – nice hit from Gryffindor Beater Black!"

Cassie saw Sirius zoom past them in the stands, and she swore she saw him wink as he went back for the group of Chasers flying around, bat in hand. "McKinnon now in possession of the Quaffle, circling back to Ravenclaw's hoops – he passes it to fellow Gryffindor Chaser Potter, and…. HE SCORES!"

The Gryffindors roared their approval, and James waved to the red-clad supporters, black hair tousling in the wind and looking as if he were born to be on a broom. Cassie clapped along with the rest of them, shaking her head at James's oozing self-confidence, but smiling all the same.

"Score is now ten to zero for Gryffindor, Ravenclaw Chaser Raj now in possession – fancy pass there back to Peddleton – Peddleton takes off for the Gryffindor goals…c'mon Weatherly…Peddleton goes to score, and…scores."

The roar was nearly deafening from the Ravenclaw supporters, and Jordan (a Gryffindor himself), couldn't keep the bitterness out of his voice as he said, "Score now ten-ten, after Gryffindor Keeper Weatherly fails to block Peddleton's shot, and Ravenclaw is once again in possession of the Quaffle…"

Another hour of this passed, with each team gaining an upper-hand before quickly losing it, and Cassie found herself on the edge of her seat (not literally, of course; the energy of the match was too much for her to remain seated) anxiously watching the flying players as they played with a fierce competitiveness reminiscent of animals fighting for their place at the top of the food chain. Her eyes kept straying back to James and Sirius, grudgingly admitting to herself that they were, indeed, excellent flyers, but her attention snapped back to the game when Jordan began screaming into the megaphone.

"And it seems the Golden Snitch has been sighted at last! Gryffindor Seeker Wood makes a spectacular dive, Ravenclaw Seeker Aubrey hot on his tail…there we go, Wood, show that tosser how to fly—"

"Jordan, if you can't keep your commentary objective…" Professor McGonagall could be heard warning him, and Jordan cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing with a muttered, "Yes, Professor.

"Wood and Aubrey now neck-and-neck, going after the Snitch… Current score is Gryffindor one-twenty, Ravenclaw one-ten, resulting in a win for either team if the Snitch is caught…"

"I can't watch," Peter whimpered, though his eyes never left the game, and Cassie found herself holding her hands over her mouth, adrenaline coursing through her as she watched two blurs pelting through the air, both arms outreached…

"It's close," Jordan whispered, more to himself than anyone, but the crowd didn't seem to notice, just as entranced. "So close…just a little bit more…and – YES! GRYFFINDOR'S CAUGHT THE SNITCH, WOOD CAUGHT IT, GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

"We won?" Cassie gasped, uncovering her mouth and turning to Remus, the sandy-haired boy beaming. "We won!"

The three all screamed together, jumping around and hugging, and Cassie was amazed at how invested she had gotten. Most of the Quidditch games she attended were spent lounging in the top stands, gossiping with the girls and occasionally reading through magazines and doing their nails, and she wondered how she ever could have done that when _this,_ victory, felt so wonderful.

"PARTY IN THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM!" Peter roared, and the crowd went ballistic, already racing off to the castle with whoops and hollers and very rude chants directed at the Ravenclaw supporters.

Cassie was so wrapped up in the euphoric sense of celebration that everything else faded into the background as she was swept back to the common room, James and Sirius intercepting them halfway there and joining in their revelry, shrieking when Sirius lifted her up and swung her around, laughing loudly and joyfully.

If she hadn't been so immune to her surroundings, then perhaps she would have seen the billowing black robes of Professor Carlisle walking in the opposite direction of the castle, passing like a shadow through the first trees of the Forbidden Forest before vanishing in a haze of fog.

* * *

 **Please review! Each one is like getting money, only better!**

 **I absolutely loved writing the Quidditch commentary tbh; that was always one of my favorite parts in the books, and I hope I did it justice here.**

 **Next Chapter: _The Slug Club_**

 **xx**


	14. The Slug Club

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **A bit of a filler-ish chapter, but a quick update, eh?**

 **Thanks for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: Raven that flies at night, heroherondaletotherescue, CatchingtheDrift, ChizomenoHime, RedRoses130, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Slug Club

"Mr. Black, if you would _please_ keep all fours of your chair down on the floor while I am teaching, that would be greatly appreciated."

Professor Flitwick was looking at him sternly from where he was standing in front of his desk, but Sirius would never have guessed the professor was there if he hadn't craned his neck around to look.

"Sorry, Professor," he said, letting the front two legs of his chair fall back to the floor with a dull _thunk_ , shaking his long hair out of his face and grinning when he thought he heard a dreamy sigh from the Ravenclaw girl sitting three seats away. "Bad habit, you see."

The professor gave a little huff, rolling up the sleeves of his robes as he prepared to demonstrate a spell. "Well, better points off from your House than mine if I catch you doing it again," he warned, and the boy grinned sheepishly as the professor continued with the lesson.

Sirius let his mind wander, already familiar with the basics of the Substantive Charm, and he found his eyes drawn inadvertently to two rows in front of him, where he could just see the back of Cassie's head if the bloke in front of him sat at an angle.

She was twirling a piece of her long brown hair around her finger as her right hand moved across the parchment in front of her, taking notes on whatever Flitwick was saying, and occasionally she'd pause, tilting her head as if to listen better, before continuing writing. Sirius didn't know how long he had been watching the cyclical movement until his eyes shifted to the right, where Alice Fortescue usually sat, but now where a tall, lanky Ravenclaw bloke had taken her place.

He knew Cassie was in some sort of row with her dorm mates, as he had heard the tail end of her rant to Remus the other day, and he assumed that that was why Alice was now sitting in the front with Frank Longbottom, and why Marlene kept shooting the dark-haired girl furtive glances over her shoulder every now and then. Lily sat determinedly forward, as if she were above it all, and this annoyed him, since he knew that she was the one who had confronted Cassie in the first place about her hanging around with himself and the others.

His eyes flicked back to the Ravenclaw bloke sitting next to Cassie, noticing how tense he seemed and the way his eyes would drift to her face before darting away, and he found himself scowling. Cassie was probably acutely aware of his discomfort, but to her credit, she didn't seem put out by it, only continuing her note-taking, and he felt a small flicker of pride, knowing how she tended to react to all the attention about her brother.

He was slightly irked that he or one of the other Marauders wasn't sitting by her, but after the grace period of last week, Flitwick had reminded them subtly that they weren't supposed to be sitting together – hypocritical, of course, now that Alice had moved seats, yet Flitwick didn't seem too bothered by it. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that anytime Cassie had sat with them, they would push their desks into a giant group, and the tiny professor finally just got annoyed about it, but still. He would rather have her back there than next to a bloke who looked ready to piss himself if she looked at him the wrong way.

The image made him chuckle under his breath, imagining her sending one of the withering looks she used to cast him on the Ravenclaw and him running from the room, screaming. James looked over at his soft laughter, raising his eyebrows and pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"What's so funny?" he asked, as Professor Flitwick sent them off to practice the Charm with their partner, and Sirius jerked his chin to the Ravenclaw.

"Poor bloke is terrified of her," he said, watching him turn tentatively to Cassie and ask her something, and he saw her nod, though her hair was covering her face, so he had no idea what her expression was like.

James snorted as jars filled with a strange white mist soared around the room, landing on each pair's desks, and Flitwick demonstrated the Charm once more before returning to his own desk, Sirius immediately seizing upon the opportunity to tilt his chair back again.

"That's Kerpensky, remember?" he said, pointing out one of the opposing Chasers on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and Sirius's ears perked up, not having realized that. "Bloke looks scared of his own shadow sometimes."

"Unfortunate for him," he replied, running a hand through his hair and smirking when he heard that sigh again. "D'you think Flitwick would notice if we brought her back here to work with us?"

James looked exasperated when he turned to Sirius. "Yes, Padfoot, he'd notice," he said drily, before his face quirked and he stared at his mate ponderingly. "Why d'you want her to work with us so bad?"

Sirius shrugged, picking at his fingernails and ignoring the suggestive grin on his mate's face. "You said it yourself, didn't you? She's our friend now."

James nodded slowly, his expression unwavering. "Yeah, she is. I thought you two didn't get along, though?"

He shrugged again, nonchalant. "Things change, Prongs. She's not as bad as I first thought, I'll give her that."

James, much to his chagrin, looked much too amused at his statement, and he scowled at the messy-haired boy. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," he said airily, before waving his wand and muttering, _"Solidium!"_ The jar full of white fog now looked like it had been filled with glue, and Professor Flitwick bumbled by right then, peering into their jar before giving them a nod.

"Excellent work, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black," he said. "Full marks for the both of you today."

"Thanks, Professor," they replied in unison, and Flitwick gave them a small smile, not even bothering to comment on Sirius's chair before moving on.

A sudden shattering of glass and a couple of yelps made them look up, and they saw the jar that had been on Frank and Alice's desk broken, with white goo splattered across both Gryffindors, and there were a few tsks and chuckles from the Ravenclaws as Frank rushed to apologize, Flitwick waving away the broken jar and goo that had escaped onto the desk and floor with his wand.

"No need to worry, no need to worry," he said genially. "Mr. Longbottom, Miss Fortescue, I will excuse you to go clean yourselves up during the last five minutes of class. You may go."

With muttered thanks to the professor, the two walked out of the room, Frank still apologizing profusely to Alice, and Professor Flitwick glanced at the clock on his desk.

"I believe that is enough practice for one day," he chirped, and he zoomed the jars back into a cupboard as the class began to pack up their things. "Tonight's homework will be two rolls of parchment detailing the theory of the Substantive Charm and the correct wand motions used in the spell, to be handed in Wednesday."

There was a collective groan at this, even the Ravenclaws looking mutinous, but the professor paid them no mind, instead shooing them out the door a few minutes early.

"Two rolls of parchment?" Peter echoed with a moan as the Marauders exited the classroom, waiting in the corridor for Cassie. "Merlin, I'm already drowning in homework as it is!"

"Well, Pete, maybe if you actually did it on time…" Remus said, grinning when the blond boy shot him an irritable look.

"Sorry we can't all be as perfect as you, Moony," he said, before pretending to prance around the corridor with a dreamy expression, raising his voice to a soft, girlish sigh. "'Look at me, I'm Remus Lupin! I always do my homework on time, and I'm a _prefect._ I also happen to be a very fluffy and gentle wer—'"

"Ugh, I swear at this rate the teachers are _trying_ to make me drop out," Cassie said, shaking her head as she emerged from the classroom, swinging her bag over her shoulder and pausing when she took in Peter mid-prance.

James grinned nervously, and quite unnecessarily, Remus punched Peter in the shoulder, causing the smaller boy to wince but not say anything as he cleared his throat and straightened up, looking slightly panicked.

Her dark eyes traveled between the four of them, before she just shook her head. "Y'know, I'm not even gonna ask."

The moment of tension was gone, and the five began to walk down the corridor, heading to the dungeons for Double Potions and discussing the appalling workload the fifth years had.

On the way there, they saw Alice Fortescue darting into one of the girls' lavatories, and Sirius snuck a glance at Cassie, seeing that the dark-haired girl had noticed her friend and was now staring at the lavatory door, biting her lip in contemplation.

He nudged her a bit with his elbow, nodding to the lavatory, and she seemed to get the message, a determined look entering her gaze.

"I'm going to nip to the loo before class," she announced. "Tell Slughorn I'm coming if I'm late?"

"Sure thing," Remus said, and after flashing them a quick smile, she made for the lavatory, her hand accidentally brushing Sirius's as she departed.

He jerked at the unexpected contact, and Peter gave him a weird look as they continued walking, but he just shook his head. The blond boy merely shrugged, but Sirius couldn't help casting one last look back until they rounded the corner to the dungeons.

* * *

Cassie slipped into the lavatory right behind Alice, and the round-faced girl looked up as she entered, her eyes widening beneath the white boogey-like substance in her eyebrows and her face flushing crimson.

"Cass – hi," she squeaked, and Cassie waved awkwardly, not quite sure how to act around the other girl. Alice had been her first friend at Hogwarts, and they had always gotten along well, something Alice seemed to be thinking too as she looked down to the tiled floor guiltily.

"Need any help with that?" Cassie asked, gesturing to the goo in her hair, and for a second she thought she was going to refuse, but finally she nodded.

Cassie approached the other girl and began to run warm water in the sink, and it was silent for a few minutes as they waited for the temperature to rise.

"So, er…how are you?" Cassie asked before cringing, knowing how lame she must sound, but Alice simply shrugged, keeping her eyes on the running water.

"Not too bad," she said, putting her fingers under the faucet and deeming it warm enough, and they began to tackle her hair, trying to smooth out the goo naturally instead of attempting a spell that might burn off all her hair instead. "What about you?"

"I've been better," she said casually, and there was a slight pause before Alice blurted out, "Are they nice to you?"

Cassie stopped scrubbing for a moment, staring at her, but she looked at her own reflection resolutely, still trying to work the goo out. It took her a few moments to respond, taken aback by the question, but finally she nodded.

"Yeah, they are," she said quietly, noting that Alice didn't seem surprised by her response, but feeling guilty when the girl looked slightly crestfallen. "They're not bad blokes when they want to be," she went on. "And for some reason, they seem to think I'm not too shabby, either, so it's…a friendship of some sorts, I guess."

Alice nodded slowly, sucking on her teeth a bit as she seemed to mull over her words.

"This whole thing is barmy," she said eventually. "Lily is the one who's upset, not me; yeah, I'll admit, I was hurt when you chose them over us, but I know you, Cassie. You love us just as much as we love you, but Merlin knows we're all too stubborn to admit that."

They both chuckled at this, and Alice shut off the water, the goo scrubbed out of her hair and leaving it plastered to her forehead and cheeks. She met Cassie's eyes for the first time since they'd been in there, and an understanding seemed to pass between the two, for she suddenly smiled.

"I know you'll find your way back to us," she said. "I'm not telling you to give up your relationship with the Marauders, because I can see they have a positive effect on you, but I'm not choosing a side anymore. I'm still yours _and_ Lily's friend, and I know you two will make up."

Cassie smiled back, her heart lighter than it had been in a week. "Thanks, Alice," she said sincerely, squeezing the girl's hand. "You have no idea how much better that makes me feel."

"Of course," she replied, pulling Cassie in for a hug, and she accepted the embrace gratefully, though she had never been much for hugging.

When they pulled apart, Alice dried her hair quickly with her wand before stowing it away, throwing her book bag over her shoulder. "Well, I'm off to Potions. Want me to wait?"

"Nah, go ahead," Cassie said, raising her hands and displaying the white goo that now coated her fingers. "I'll clean this up and then I'll be there."

"All right," she said, heading for the door. "If Slughorn asks, I'll tell him you're taking care of some feminine hygiene things." She grinned wickedly over her shoulder, and Cassie rolled her eyes before shooing her away.

When the door had closed, she turned the water back on and began to wash her hands, smiling slightly to herself and feeling immensely relieved. Her real challenge, of course, still lay with Lily, but now that she had Alice again, she felt more confident that the redhead would be quick to let bygones be bygones, as well.

She was just drying her hands when the lavatory door opened again, and glancing in the mirror she saw a gaggle of fourth-years entering, one of them a Gryffindor and the other two Hufflepuffs. Her gaze lingered on the Gryffindor one, a thin-faced girl with an upturned nose that made her appear as if she were sniffing something unpleasant and platinum hair that fell razor-sharp to her shoulders.

They were laughing and gossiping about some poor third-year as they preened in the mirror, and Cassie collected her things, about to head out, when she caught the blonde's gaze in the mirror and her green eyes widened slightly.

She whirled around in the middle of her sentence, and the two Hufflepuff girls turned to stare at Cassie, as well, obviously confused to see what their friend was staring at. Cassie just raised her brows coolly, not saying anything, but something in her jaw twitched when the Gryffindor asked, "Aren't you Cassie Alderfair?"

Cassie only shrugged, still heading for the door, but she stopped when the Gryffindor stepped in front of her, her expression slipping into a sneer that was very unbecoming.

"Dunno why I asked that, really," she said, with an air of nonchalance, and Cassie just stared at her. "Everyone knows who you and your Death Eater brother are now."

Cassie remained silent, and the Hufflepuff girls were now looking back and forth between her and the other girl warily, but with a hungry curiosity in their eyes.

"I think it's quite funny, how before last year, no one even knew who you were except for your dorm mates," the girl continued, placing her hands on her hips and looking supremely smug. "But I've heard about you, Alderfair; the invisible girl who tried so hard to blend in that she turned herself into a bloody fool. Is that why your parents don't like you, Alderfair? Because you're so far from what a pureblood should be? Or is it because you're just like your brother, just another filthy Death Eater to taint the name of Gryffindor?"

Cassie could feel her hands shaking, and she clenched them into fists, telling herself to breathe evenly.

"Get out of my way, brat," she snapped, edging around the girl and growling when she stepped into her path again, now looking exhilarated at the fact that she was getting a rise out of her.

"Can't you see, Alderfair?" she said, giggling like mad. "Everyone in this school knows who you are now, and you know what they say? That you're a freak, and you just want attention – I mean, c'mon. For someone who wants to be _so_ invisible, the Marauders are about the furthest you can get. Or are you just hanging around them like a lost puppy because you're in desperate need of some validation, maybe even a nice shag—"

Cassie didn't know when her wand had gotten into her hand, but suddenly it was pointing right at the blonde's face, making the girl squeak and draw her own wand, though she now looked uneasy.

"Don't. Say. Another. Word. About me or my brother." She snarled, and she could sense the two Hufflepuff girls draw their wands, as well, though her blood was roaring in her ears, making her immune to the fact that she was outnumbered three to one.

"Go on, then," the girl said defiantly. "Hex me – but you'll be the one in detention, and I'm sure Mummy and Daddy won't be pleased with you—"

Cassie shoved the girl roughly out of the way, striding for the door as she stumbled into her Hufflepuff mates, and she had just gripped the knob when she heard the girl say from behind her, _"Affligo!"_

Cassie was thrown face-first into the door, feeling as if a giant hand had slammed into her back and knocked all the air from her lungs. She gasped, her knees buckling, but she turned and raised her wand, managing to suck in just enough breath to choke out, _"Libaugeo!"_

The jinx hit the girl right in the face, and immediately her lips began swelling in size, blooming like swollen hives and causing her to drop her wand in panic, crying through the small opening of her mouth where her lips were not yet touching. The Hufflepuffs rushed to her side, trying to figure out the counter-spell while Cassie struggled to get her breath back.

The girl was crying now, her blotchy face making her lips look even uglier, and she would have laughed had the lavatory door not burst open behind her, and to her intense dread, Professor Carlisle stalked in, demanding, "What is going on in here?"

She stopped in her tracks when she took in the crying fourth-year, her lips now double their normal size, and, very slowly, Cassie felt the professor's eyes turn to her, as hard as flint.

"Miss Alderfair," she said slowly, dangerously, and the temperature seemed to drop about ten degrees. "Would you care to explain to me what has happened here?"

"She attacked Zella!" One of the Hufflepuffs cried, looking panicked as she wrapped an arm around the Gryffindor girl, whose name was apparently Zella now. She pointed to Cassie accusingly, and the older girl opened her mouth, attempting to protest, but all that came out was a wheezing gasp.

"Is that so?" Professor Carlisle's eyes glittered with triumph as she turned her gaze back on Cassie, before she flicked her wand at Zella and her lips began to reduce in size. "You two, escort Miss Knightley to the Hospital Wing. I will deal with Miss Alderfair's punishment."

The Hufflepuffs hurriedly complied with her orders, and Cassie didn't miss their gloating looks as they pushed out of the lavatory, leaving her alone with her most hated teacher.

"Get up, Miss Alderfair," she snapped, and Cassie got to her feet slowly, glaring daggers at her the entire time, though she was unfazed, looking as gleeful as a child inside Honeydukes. "Come with me."

Reluctantly, Cassie followed behind her as she whisked out of the lavatory, confusion settling inside her when she realized that she was being led to the dungeons instead of her third-floor classroom.

When they walked down a flight of stone steps and came to a halt outside of a familiar door, however, Cassie's gut cramped anxiously as the professor knocked on the door, not even bothering to listen for an answer before leading Cassie in by the elbow.

"Ah, Claudia," Professor Slughorn said, smiling slightly but looking back and forth between them in bafflement. "I was just instructing the class here how to properly brew a Calming Draught; what can I do for you?"

The class had all turned to stare at them, and the Slytherins were looking on in malicious glee while most of the Gryffindors looked bewildered, though she avoided any of her friends' gazes, too mortified to acknowledge anyone or anything.

"I just came to inform you that I found Miss Alderfair in the lavatory just now – absent from _your_ class – because she felt the need to hex a younger student unprovoked." Professor Carlisle sounded breathless, and Cassie wrenched her arm out of her grasp, furious.

"It wasn't unprovoked!" she protested. "The prat was having a go at my brother!"

"Miss Alderfair," Professor Slughorn said, sounding scandalized, but he looked helplessly between the two women, clearly lost. "Claudia, dear, I don't know what you are expecting me to do. I am not Miss Alderfair's Head of House; shouldn't you be taking her to Minerva?"

"I am going to tell Minerva everything as soon as I am done here," the icy witch assured. "I just wanted to make sure Miss Alderfair got to class without being tempted to attack another student."

The Slytherins laughed openly at this, but the Gryffindors glared at them furiously; though she knew some of them may be wary of her, the divide between the lions and the snakes was deep, and she also knew that Gryffindors would always protect their own against the Slytherins.

"By all means, please get back to your lesson," Professor Carlisle said, nodding politely to Professor Slughorn, who just stared back, flabbergasted. "Expect a summons from Professor McGonagall later today, Miss Alderfair. Have a nice class."

And with that, she strode out the door, slamming it behind her and leaving Cassie standing in the middle of the room, her ears ringing.

She knew her face was flaming, but there was no use hiding it. The damage had been done, and she had never been more mortified in her life, knowing that the witch had done this to her on purpose. The Slytherins now had even more reason to mock her, and now she looked like a bully to her fellow Gryffindors, going round and hexing those in younger years. She looked like a _Slytherin,_ and her gut twisted when she realized that that was exactly why Carlisle had done it, and she suddenly felt like bursting into tears in the middle of the classroom.

"Er, Miss Alderfair," Professor Slughorn said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "If you wouldn't mind taking your seat…"

She nodded numbly, moving to take her seat beside Sirius, who had decided to remain her Potions partner ever since they had first worked together a couple weeks ago. She could feel him staring, but she shifted so her hair was covering her face, struggling not to cry as Slughorn moved on with the lesson, obviously trying to smooth over the tense moment.

She felt a tap on her hand, and though she didn't look up, she knew what Sirius was asking: _Are you okay?_ She shook her head slightly, and he tapped on the back of her hand again. Though she had never spoken to him before this year, and on some levels, they were still complete strangers, the meaning behind the tap was as clear as day, and her mouth curled into the smallest of smiles: _I'm here._

She tapped back on his hand, two simple words, but it was as if she had spoken them aloud: _I know._

* * *

"Miss Alderfair, could you stay behind for a moment?"

Potions had just ended, and as she was making her way to the door with Sirius and the others, Professor Slughorn's voice called her back. She grimaced, really not wanting a lecture at the moment, but she knew she couldn't refuse a teacher.

Telling her they'd meet her in the Great Hall for lunch, the Marauders ambled off, leaving her alone with Professor Slughorn as he sat at his desk, his small eyes studying her carefully as she shifted nervously. "Yes, Professor?"

"Would you like to explain to me what happened today?" he asked, and she scuffed her shoe on the ground, frowning.

"Not really, sir."

He sighed, the air rippling his walrus-like mustache, and he folded his hands carefully before him.

"Miss Alderfair, I won't pretend to understand the predicament you are in, but you must know that attacking other students is against school rules, and deeply frowned upon—"

"She attacked me first!" she said hotly, immediately flushing angrily and looking away when he just stared at her, as if debating something.

"I seem to recall you never attending one of my dinner parties," he said unexpectedly, and she started at the random statement. "Your brother had been an active member in the Slug Club when he was a student, yet for some reason, you never bothered to show, though I pestered him all the time to bring you."

Cassie stared blankly, and he sighed again, though it sounded weary, and a little sad.

"William was always one of my favorites," he said, and she flinched at the name, though he didn't seem to notice. "So bright, so curious, so ambitious… I always told him he would have been better off in my House, yet he remained an adamant Gryffindor. He would have gone off to do great things, though I suppose one could argue that he is doing them now – terrible things, of course, but things that will one day go down as history."

Cassie listened, her heart squeezing at every word, and Professor Slughorn looked back up to her, appearing to come out of some sort of reverie. "What I am trying to say, Miss Alderfair, is that there is more to you than just your brother and his deeds – you will make your own path, in time."

"Thank you…Professor," she said haltingly, not knowing how to respond, but he simply pulled out a scroll tied with a silk black ribbon from a drawer within his desk and handed it to her.

"I think it is time you received an invitation to my parties," he said. "Two weeks from today, and you may bring a friend with you if you'd like."

Cassie clutched the scroll uncertainly, forcing a smile at the professor when he beamed at her. "Er, I'll try, sir."

"Good, good," he said, nodding. "The atmosphere may do you some good, lift your spirits a bit. Now, I know you're friends are waiting for you to join them, so off you trot!"

And before she could say anything else, he had shooed her out the door, leaving her standing in the dungeons before shaking her head and starting up the stairs, nearly jumping out of her skin when a voice spoke from behind her.

"So, you've been inducted into the Slug Club, it seems." She internally groaned when she turned to see Avery walking up the steps behind her, hands clasped behind his back and looking as eloquent as ever.

"Go away, Avery," she said wearily. "And stop sneaking up on me like that."

"Like what?" He gave her an innocent look, and she just rolled her eyes, trudging up the stairs with him at her heels.

"Please leave me alone," she sighed, "I'm really not in the mood for you to twist my words and make fun of me in that subtle way you do."

"You think it's subtle?" When she only glared, he flashed her a tiny smirk. "Only joking."

"You're hilarious," she said drily.

"Well, are you going to Slughorn's party, then?" he said, wisely changing the subject, and she just grimaced.

"Considering you heard everything down there, does it sound like I really have a choice?" she asked.

"Of course," he said. "You always have a choice."

His tone had become more solemn at the words, and she glanced over at him, seeing him staring at her intently before he blinked and seemed to realize what he was doing, his arrogant smirk (a rival worthy of James and Sirius, she noted) playing on the edges of his lips again.

Many babbling voices suddenly registered with her, and she realized that they had made it to the Great Hall, though fortunately, no one seemed to notice them standing together.

"Well," he said, giving her a slight incline of his head before gesturing to her, and then the hall beyond. "Welcome to the Slug Club, Cassie. I'll see you at the party."

And with that, he turned and strode to the Slytherin table, leaving her feeling oddly nervous as she rushed to sit with her own friends and forget about all of the strange things that kept happening to her lately.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **So, thoughts? Feel free to let me know if you like Sirius's POV or not, and I'd love to hear your speculations about Avery :)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Wrong Crowd_**

 **xx**


	15. The Wrong Crowd

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **I'm going on vacation for a few days this week and next, so I wanted to get this update out for y'all since I won't have much time to write in the meantime!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: RedRoses130, Cant-Resist, heroherondaletotherescue, ChizomenoHime, Les Spring Hamilton, redcap64, wickedgrl123, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

 ***Also, this chapter features a lot of James, so for all my Jamie fans, this one is for you***

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: The Wrong Crowd

Cassie stared at the wooden doll before her, chin propped on her hand and brows furrowed in concentration. Her hazel wood wand rolled between her fingers in her other hand as she skimmed through the lines of her Defense book, trying to memorize the correct wand motion to use for the spell she was trying to cast.

Sitting up straighter, she pointed her wand at the practice doll and gave it a wave, muttering, _"Diminuendo!"_

The doll gave a little twitch, but otherwise did nothing, and she let out a sigh of frustration, dropping her eyes back to the book and pinning the page in place with her thumb when a breeze blew by.

Despite the coldness and greyness of the day, she was sitting underneath the beech tree the Marauders usually claimed as their own by the lake, bundled up in her robes and having a handy jar of warm flames nearby to stave off most of the late November chill. She had skipped breakfast to catch up on some of the work she was behind on, and to avoid the multitude of people inside staying out of the winter weather, she had went to the grounds where she wouldn't be bothered, which had been a good idea, in hindsight – at least no one would see her abysmal attempts at such a simple spell and have another thing to make fun of her for.

She closed her book and rested it in her lap, tracing the leather cover absentmindedly as she tapped her wand against her knee, lost in thought. The past week and a half had been difficult, and not just from her strenuous workload; on top of the jeers and whispers that swirled around about her brother still, and the mistrustful and suspicious glares she always received, news had spread about her alleged "attack" on the fourth year, Zella Knightley, and the taunts had become particularly worse, especially from the Slytherins. Even the Gryffindors had taken to giving her a cold shoulder after Zella had begun to spread the rumor in the common room upon her return from the Hospital Wing, except, of course, those who knew her (which was painfully few) and those who couldn't care less.

"All I did was express my sympathies for her brother, and how awful the _Prophet_ is making him out to be," she recalled Zella saying tearfully in the common room several days ago, a few of her classmates and some younger students sitting around her in sickening concern, though the fourth year had given her a triumphant smile when she had caught Cassie's eye. "And the next thing I know, I'm on my knees after a hex to the face, with that awful girl standing over me and threatening to silence me forever if I said anything to her ever again!"

The other students had gasped and shot Cassie furtive, mutinous looks at this, and she had nearly snapped her quill in half from where she was doing homework a few tables away with Remus and Peter.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, watching the girl bask in all the attention she was receiving, practically preening. "If the brat keeps this up then maybe I _will_ have to silence her for good."

"Easy, Cassie," Remus said, not once looking up from the essay he was writing. "Didn't you say two days ago that you couldn't get in any more trouble, or McGonagall would write your parents?"

She had blanched at the mention of her parents, prompting her to nod grudgingly at the sandy-haired boy. "Good point."

The day Zella had attacked her in the lavatory, she had been called to Professor McGonagall's office before dinner, and the witch had not been as kind as she had been the day she found Cassie wandering the halls after the news about her brother was published.

After hearing Cassie's version of events, however, her Head of House had decided not to write her parents over the matter, though she had slapped the girl with a week's worth of detentions scrubbing bedpans in the Hospital Wing, and warned that if such a thing happened again, then her parents would have to be contacted to discuss "progressive disciplinary options."

The only other people who knew about the real story were the Marauders, after she had told them at dinner that same night, and Alice, who had gone back to sitting next to her in lessons again and had been outraged, and a little guilty.

"I feel terrible, Cass," she had said the next day in Transfiguration, talking in hushed voices while they were supposed to be practicing turning their mice into teacups. "I should've waited for you; none of this would've happened if I had been there!"

Cassie snorted, watching Alice's mouse attempt to scuttle away from her while the round-faced girl went after it. "I don't think it would've mattered all that much. That girl seemed like she had been waiting her whole life to have a go at me." She paused, shrugging slightly. "At least if you had been there, we probably could've given her a bigger head to match those awful lips."

They had snickered at this, though had fallen silent when Professor McGonagall eyed them sternly from across the room, both girls attempting to Transfigure their mice once more.

Lily and Marlene seemed to believe her, as well, though they still weren't speaking to her. Lily had even gone so far as to join a group of Ravenclaws in Care of Magical Creatures, leaving Cassie to work with James and Peter, which was slowly becoming a disaster. The boys were bright at the subject, though they always goofed off when Professor Kettleburn wasn't looking, which usually resulted in leaving her to do all the work, and that annoyed her. However, her annoyance was made up in the form of Little Leaf, as the little bowtruckle seemed to despise the two boys and did whatever was in his power to mock them, and it was always satisfying to see their egos knocked down a few pegs by a tiny tree-man from the woods.

"All right, Alderfair?" The sound of James's voice brought her back to reality, and she turned to see him striding across the lawn toward her, hair fluffed up even more by the wind and cheeks red from the cold.

"How do you always seem to know where to find me?" she asked, watching as the bespectacled boy plopped down beside her, stretching his legs out before him.

"It's a secret," he replied, winking at her, and she rolled her eyes as he held up a napkin and a cup in his hands. "Want some breakfast?"

"Merlin, yes," she breathed, snatching the items from him and opening the napkin to reveal three pieces of toast, perfectly buttered and topped with strawberry marmalade, and sighing blissfully when the scent of hot chocolate wafted out of the cup.

"James Potter, you are my hero," she said gratefully, munching on the toast and letting the hot chocolate warm up her other hand. "How did you know how I took my toast, though?"

James rolled his eyes, smirking at her as he lounged back on his elbows. "You spend five minutes every morning meticulously smearing that stuff on your toast; it's a little hard not to notice."

She scoffed at that. "Oh, c'mon, James – just admit you're a mother hen and you care about me and what I like."

He looked to her, affronted. "I am _not_ a mother hen!"

"Okay, fine. A lioness with her cubs, maybe?"

He gave her a dry look. "Just eat your toast and shut it, princess."

"All right, Mum."

He threw his head back, as if praying to Merlin for guidance, and she snickered, continuing eating while they sat in silence for a few minutes.

When she was done, she brushed the crumbs from her hands and lap, using the napkin to dab at her lips for any stray bits or hot chocolate, and she sat back against the tree, feeling better now that her stomach was full.

"Where's everyone else?" she asked, pushing her hair back when the wind disturbed it, and he gave a noncommittal shrug from where he was lying in the short, brittle grass.

"They were being little children and not wanting to sit out in the cold," he said, and she nodded, picturing Sirius (ever the melodramatic one) whining about staying inside.

When James made no further attempt at conversation, she got back out her Defense book and began practicing the Shrinking Spell again, cursing when her doll remained the same size. _"Diminuendo!"_

The doll flopped disappointingly on the ground, and she heard James cluck his tongue. "Pathetic, princess."

Her face flushed embarrassedly, and he sat up, scooting closer to her and gesturing to her wand. "You've got the motion backwards; it's a backhand counterclockwise, not the other way round."

Biting her lip, she raised her wand and took his advice, moving it the opposite way. _"Diminuendo!"_

The doll immediately shrank in size, now appearing as if it were a toothpick, and she grinned as James ruffled her hair. "There you go, princess!"

She swatted his hand away, smirking as she said, "All thanks to you, Mum!"

He jerked back as if she had scalded him. "Stop calling me that!"

She opened her mouth, smiling widely, but before she could get a word out, he had pounced on her, fingers digging into her sides as she struggled not to laugh, though a shriek of mirth burst from her lips anyway.

"Good thing you're ticklish," she heard him laughing from above her as she thrashed around beneath him, struggling to escape his grasp, "else this would be extremely awkward."

"James – please," she gasped, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. "I promise – not another word – please—"

He finally released her, victorious, while she just lay there in the grass, panting and trying to come down after being tickled so ruthlessly.

"So, ready for Slughorn's party this Friday?" he asked when she could breathe again, and she shook her head, grimacing. He nodded thoughtfully. "Thought anymore on who to bring?"

She shook her head again, not sure she even _had_ anyone left to ask. James was already invited, of course, and though she was sure Slughorn had approached Sirius before, the boy wanted nothing to do with the parties, as did Remus and Peter. James only went due to Slughorn's dotage on him, and the contacts he had within the Ministry (better than his own father, James had said, though his father was an Auror) and the professional Quidditch leagues, two things that interested James greatly. Alice apparently had a date with Frank that night (which she was not put out by in the slightest), and since Lily and Marlene weren't speaking to her, she was afraid they weren't an option, either.

"Y'know, I bet if you asked one of the lads they'd go with you," he said, seeming to follow along her train of thought and quirking his lips. "Pete would probably trip over his own shoes to escort you there himself."

"I don't need anyone to go with," she said, shaking her head. "He said if I'd _like,_ I could bring a friend, and since you're already going, then there's really no need, yeah?"

"Yeah, but you still have the option," he said, shrugging. "I know Remus would go with you – you two are pretty good mates, and he's too kind to refuse you."

"James, stop trying to pair me off with your mates," she said, rolling her eyes, but he pressed on as if he hadn't heard her.

"Or I guess you could take Sirius," he mused, running a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "He'd hate it, but I think he likes you enough to do it for you."

"James, please, I'm not taking anyone," she said, suddenly nervous, though she didn't know why. James just shrugged again.

"All right, I was just throwing suggestions out there," he said, raising his hands and grinning at her. "Sorry, princess."

She just huffed in reply, and he chuckled before saying, "So you said Avery was going to be there?"

She had told James – and only James – about the weird meeting between the Slytherin boy and Carlisle before the Quidditch match, and her run-in with him after Potions the other week, and James had seemed troubled by it, reluctantly agreeing with her that something appeared to be off in the matter. Despite Avery being his seatmate in Potions, he hadn't been able to get more than a few words out of him at a time, and Cassie never saw him that much due to the conflicting schedules of her classes and studies, leaving Slughorn's party their only chance of getting even a sliver of information out of the Slytherin.

She nodded, and he mirrored her movement. "Good. Maybe we can find out what the git is up to."

"Don't forget, this isn't just about Avery and whatever prejudice you have against him," she reminded the messy-haired boy, and he scowled. "We have to get information about Carlisle, too."

"I know," he said grudgingly, and it looked as if he were about to continue, before another voice cut across his.

"Oi! The bloody hell are you two doing? It's winter, in case you haven't noticed!"

They looked to see the other three Marauders striding toward them from the castle, huddled into their cloaks and scarves, and James waved them off lazily while Cassie just shrugged, shutting her Defense book again and holding it to her chest.

The three boys flopped down next to James, and she snickered when Sirius rested his head on the boy's chest, fluttering his eyelashes up to him innocently. James made as if to wrap him in an embrace before flinging him off, sending him sprawling in the grass while the rest laughed.

"Prongs, my ego!" Sirius cried, clutching his chest, but the other boy just shook his head, laughing. Sirius made a big show of limping over to Cassie by the tree before flinging himself down, resting his head on her legs while she froze, uncertain of what to do.

She looked down at his handsome face to find him staring up at her already, and he winked when their gazes met. "All right there, princess?"

"If you scratch behind his ears he'll start to whine like a dog," Remus said mischievously, and the boys all exchanged a look that told her it was an inside joke as Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, Moony ol' pal, but I think that's you," he retorted, and they all chuckled at that while she just shook her head, going back to her Defense book so she wouldn't have to look at Sirius Black's head resting on her knees.

The boys all chattered on about something, waiting for lessons to start, but Cassie was distracted from her reading when Sirius kept flicking at her book.

"Can I help you, Sirius?" she said, lowering her book and raising an eyebrow at the smirking boy, and he waved to the other Marauders.

"They're talking about school, and I'm bored," he said. "Talk to me."

Cassie sniffed. "Ask nicely and maybe I will."

He sat up, now sitting before her, and his smirk grew wider as he said, "Cassie, please spare me from the torturous bindings of my mates' conversation, and talk to me instead?"

"All right, then," she said, making no move to close her book and gesturing for him to go on. "Speak."

He seemed to study her intently for a moment before flicking the book in her hands again. "D'you like to read?"

"Sometimes," she answered. "I don't do it very often, but if I find something I like, I won't put it down until I finish it."

He nodded, seemingly interested. "Y'know, I'm kinda the same way. What do you read?"

"Adventure, mostly," she said, smiling slightly. "I'm a sod for a good quest and some heroes. Especially the Muggle stuff. Lily got me this book for my birthday called _The Hobbit_ , and though I haven't had a chance to sit down and read it yet, from what I've seen I think I'm going to like it."

He seemed thoughtful, watching her tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, and she suddenly felt self-conscious, floundering for something to say. "Er, what about you?"

"Anything that's remotely interesting," he said, shrugging. "I don't think I've ever actually finished a book before, though; I just usually skip to the end and read it."

Cassie gaped, shocked. "But the endings are the best parts! They're like the final closure of everything, and that feeling you get when you finish a story…it's indescribable. I love it."

"I much prefer beginnings," he said, tapping his long fingers on his leg and distracting her from her incredulous staring. "I like the possibilities that come with them – the feeling that anything is possible, but you don't know what to expect. And I think that's why I never read books the whole way through; I just get too impatient to see the outcome of those possibilities."

She studied him carefully while he seemed to do the same, brown eyes against grey, searching for something that neither of them knew on the other's face, until she said, "I propose a deal."

He cocked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You have to read a book – the _whole_ way through – and if you do, I will buy you anything you want at Honeydukes next Hogsmeade trip." She smiled smugly, as if beating him at some game, and he shrugged.

"All right," he said easily, before grinning mischievously at her. "What's your end of the deal, then?"

She raised both brows at him. "Pardon?"

"You gave me a challenge," he said, "now I have to give one to you."

She looked a bit apprehensive at this, but she nodded nonetheless. "Okay, shoot."

"Read _The Hobbit,_ and when you're done, you have to choose a character and dress up like them on the Hogsmeade trip." He grinned when she looked horrified, and immediately began to protest.

"Sirius, that's _so_ unfair!" she complained. "Your challenge isn't embarrassing at all!"

"Fine," he conceded, too charmed by her pouty expression to push the deal further. "Either that, or…" He cast his mind around for something while she eyed him warily.

He thought about what else she could do, his mind straying into the realm of a date, but he shook that thought off uncomfortably. Any other girl he wouldn't hesitate to dare them a kiss or a stroll across the grounds at night, but he had a feeling Cassie would hex him six ways from Sunday if he so much as suggested something like that.

"Well?" she prompted, her lips curling into a grin. "What's it gonna be, Sirius?"

"Tell Bertram Aubrey that he's fit," he blurted out, freezing when her playful expression twisted into a frown.

"Er…why?" she asked, and he mentally slapped himself on the forehead.

"Because…erm…" He cast his mind around wildly, before settling with the brilliant response of, "Because you'll have to dress up like a character from _The Hobbit_ instead. Unless you _want_ to dress up, then by all means…"

He cut his ramblings short when she just gazed at him, her lips pursed and brows arched, and he swallowed nervously at her suddenly haughty expression. He oftentimes forgot that she was a pureblood such as himself, she was usually so shy and sarcastic, but the way she looked now reminded him of pureblood royalty, refined and arrogant, and he felt himself shrinking away from her a bit as she looked him over coolly.

"Fine," she said, shrugging slightly, "but since I have two options, you have to have two, as well."

"One is you buying me anything I want from Honeydukes," he said, holding up his index finger and nodding. "What's your second?"

"Come with me to Slughorn's party," she said triumphantly. She couldn't help but to feel smug, but the brief pride she felt disappeared when he suddenly looked uncomfortable, tugging at the collar of his robes awkwardly. She felt her smirk fade quickly. "Or…not?"

"Cassie, erm, don't get me wrong…" he said, looking at some point over her shoulder. "But I, er, already have plans this Friday."

"Oh," she said, relieved, and she let out a small chuckle. "That's totally fine! It just looked like I had asked you to sign over your soul to me or something."

He gave her a faint smile, and she tilted her head, looking at him with a sly grin. "So what kind of plans are they?"

"I'm going on a date," he said simply, now very absorbed in his fingernails, and Cassie felt the faintest flicker of annoyance, though she only nodded.

"Right," she said neutrally. "Cool."

He shrugged, and there was an awkward moment of silence between them until there was a sudden squeak of pain beside them.

"Mercy!" Peter yelped, struggling away from James and Remus's fists and rubbing his arms painfully. "Merlin that _hurt!"_

"That's the point of the game, Pete," James said, as Remus chuckled next to him. "We keep hitting you until you say 'mercy,' and then we stop."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to hit me _that hard!"_ Peter moaned, just as the bell rang out across the grounds, signaling that it was time to start heading to class.

"Barbarians," Cassie scoffed, shaking her head and clambering to her feet, wincing at the soreness in her muscles from having been sitting for so long. "C'mon, children, let's get to class."

"Who's the mother hen now?" James interjected, smirking at her, and she just gave him an offensive hand gesture before heading back to the castle.

"Oi, Cassie," Sirius said, jogging to catch up with her, and she gazed at him questioningly as he grinned down at her. "Still on for our deal?"

She eyed his outstretched hand for a moment, debating, before taking it into her own and giving it a firm shake. "You think I'm going to give up that easily?"

"'Course not, princess," he said wickedly, winking at her. "I wouldn't expect any less from you."

"Good," she said sweetly, giving him her best smirk, "because we are _so_ on."

* * *

"So I'm standing there, in a puddle of _my_ macaroni, right? And he has the nerve to say 'Oi, watch where you're going, prat,' and long story short, but that is exactly how and why Matthew Masaveu now has noodles for eyebrows and cheese in his hair."

James bowed deeply at the conclusion of his story while Peter gave him a round of applause, snickering like a hamster with asthma, and Cassie just rolled her eyes from where she was sitting on the ground, feeding Little Leaf strips of bark from her hands. The bowtruckle blew James a very small, yet still rude raspberry in between bites, causing the bespectacled boy to scowl down at him.

"Cassie, I don't understand why you choose to spend your time with such unrefined company," he said, sniffing.

"Y'know, James," she said sarcastically. "I ask myself that every day whenever you're around, too."

He made a face at her, while Peter gave a big show of biting his thumb and turning away, grinning, yet James said nothing back to her, allowing her to go back to feeding Little Leaf.

They had come down to Care of Magical Creatures that day only for Professor Kettleburn to announce he wasn't feeling well and then proceeding to tell them to sod off, and while everyone else had trudged back to the castle, Cassie had opted to stay with Little Leaf for a while, James and Peter following suit since Sirius and Remus were in another class.

The week seemed to have crept by too slowly for her, yet now she was sitting on Thursday, only a day away from Slughorn's party. She still had no one to go with besides James, and the more she thought about it, the more she began to realize that she had no idea who else was going to be there, and much less of a clue in determining what to wear. She had formal robes and a few Muggle dresses she had managed to buy without her father's knowledge stashed in her trunk, yet she didn't know what the dress code was, and wasn't particularly willing to let James guide her in the right direction on that one.

She was watching Little Leaf do cartwheels in the dirt when a voice from behind them began to speak. "Excuse me, but have any of you seen my Charms book? I think I might've left it out here a few min – oh."

Everyone turned to see Lily standing frozen in her tracks behind them, her green eyes wide and her face now flushed crimson to the roots of her hair.

"All right, Evans?" James said, his hand immediately jumping to his hair, but Lily wasn't paying him any attention, her gaze locked onto Cassie.

Little Leaf chirped from behind her, and she felt a tugging on her sleeve, but she found herself staring right back at the red-haired girl, a sobering feeling prickling in her gut.

"Hi, Lily," she said quietly, and she thought she saw the faintest flicker of nostalgia in the other girl's eyes before it was gone, her gaze hardening as she took in James standing next to Cassie.

"You know what, I'll just come back and look for it later," she said in a low voice. "Have a nice day, Cassie."

And with that, she turned on her heel and flounced away, her red hair streaming behind her, and Cassie cursed.

"Watch Little Leaf," she ordered the boys, before getting to her feet and chasing after her friend. "Lily! Lily, please wait!"

The other girl stopped walking, only turning to face her when she came to a stop by her side, clutching a stitch in her stomach from sprinting uphill.

"What do you want, Cass?" she said tiredly, looking quite miserable, and Cassie paused, uncertain. She hadn't expected to get this far, and now she seemed at a loss for words.

"I miss you," she blurted out finally, feeling her face flush when Lily just raised her brows, crossing her arms. "Look, I know you don't like James: he can be loud, and obnoxious, and the most egotistical bastard on the planet, and I know that his pranks can go too far, but…he's a good bloke to me, Lily. He treats his friends like family, and he can be the most loyal, selfless person when it comes to them, and _that's_ the James I'm friends with. He has his flaws, yeah, but he's only human, just like the rest of us."

Lily remained silent, and Cassie sighed before pressing on.

"He's not replacing you, or Mar, or Alice, or anyone. But by some odd circumstance, he's my friend now, same as you. And I want to be both of your friends. So just…please don't ask me to choose between you two. Because I really miss you, Lils, and I don't want to fight."

She bit her lip, waiting for the other girl to respond, and after a few moments, Lily dropped her arms and let out a noise of frustration.

"Cass, you know I hate fighting with you, too," she said, "but I just can't forgive Potter that easily. All those years of him embarrassing me, trying to get me to go out with him, and all the times he's bullied Sev…I just can't see him the way you do."

Cassie felt her heart sink, and she frowned when Lily grabbed her hand, her face pleading.

"But I don't want to lose you over this, and I don't want you to feel like you're choosing sides," she said desperately, her green eyes searching her own. "So…I'm here for you. Whenever you want to be with the girls and me, we'll be waiting for you, and whenever you want to be with the boys, we won't say anything. Just…I can't be around Potter. Not right now."

"So…all is forgiven?" Cassie asked, and Lily nodded, squeezing her hand.

"I'm sorry for being a prat," she said solemnly. "All is forgiven."

Cassie grinned, gripping Lily's hand back before her face lit up mischievously. "So, Lils, got any plans tomorrow?"

* * *

There was an air of cheeriness the next morning in the girls' dormitory as Cassie was getting dressed, her mood the lightest it had been for a while. After sitting down with Lily, Alice, and Marlene the night before and having a very long and meaningful talk that had left her with a raging headache, they had worked out their issues and now seemed to be on the right track. None of them were exactly thrilled about her relationship with the Marauders (particularly with the arrogant James Potter and Sirius Black), but as Cassie had pointed out, no boy should ever come between their friendship, and so a truce was formed.

"I can't go to Slughorn's party!" Lily fretted, throwing herself down on Cassie's bed while the other girl tugged on her stockings. "I have nothing to wear!"

"What about that one violet dress you have?" she suggested. "You look amazing in that one."

Lily let out a distressed noise, looking to Cassie as if she were mental. "Are you mad? I can't go strutting around in Muggle clothes! D'you know how many purebloods are going to be there? How many _Slytherin_ purebloods? They'd tie me to a stake and burn me alive!"

"Then borrow some of my formal robes," Cassie said, frowning. She hadn't thought about that much, honestly – she had been too worried making plans with James to gather information on Carlisle and Avery to give it any thought. "I'm sure I have an extra set in my trunk somewhere."

"Cassie, I can't wear your robes," Lily said, shaking her head. "You're much taller than me, and, well…I'm a bit bustier than you, yeah?"

Cassie looked down at her disappointingly small chest before conceding that point to Lily. "Yeah, but we can always tweak them with some spells."

Alice snorted from across the room. "The last time we tried that we turned Marlene's dress into feathers," she pointed out, and they all snickered at the memory while Marlene grimaced.

"Please don't remind me of that," she said wearily. "I was finding feathers in the oddest places for _ages."_

"I don't think Slughorn would care if you showed up in a Muggle dress, Lils," Cassie said, guiding the conversation back to its purpose. "You're one of the best fifth years at Potions – he's starkers for you, that man."

Lily flashed her a grateful but brief smile, sucking on her teeth worriedly until Cassie got hit with a brilliant idea. "I know! You wear your Muggle dress, and I'll wear something Muggle, too!"

"But Cassie, you're a pureblood, as well," Lily said, frowning. "Don't you have to maintain the part, or whatever it's called?"

Cassie shrugged, scoffing. "That's only around my parents. Here, I don't have to worry about decorum so much."

When Lily still looked doubtful, Cassie sighed. "Lils, just wear the damn dress. If anyone says something, I'll handle it."

Lily shot her a dubious look, and even she was surprised at what had come out of her mouth. She usually avoided confrontation at all costs, and had never once spoken out against another student, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew she meant it.

Ugh. Those stupid Marauders were starting to wear on her.

"Now that the fashion crisis is over, can we go eat?" Alice said, holding her stomach. "I'm _ravished."_

Marlene wrinkled her nose at the girl. "Not a good enough reason to use that word, Al," she said, and Alice stuck her tongue out at her, leading the way as they left for the Great Hall.

On the way there, they were stopped by a nasally voice calling out quietly, and the girls stopped in the middle of the fourth-floor corridor to see Severus Snape slinking out of the shadows, looking like an overbearing bat with his greasy black hair and too-long robes.

"Sev, hi!" Lily said brightly, flashing the boy a brilliant smile that made his sallow cheeks turn pink. "What's up? Aren't you coming to breakfast?"

"In a moment," he said, before his black eyes slid over the other three girls, a faint sneer curling his lips. "I wanted to speak to you actually. Privately."

"Oh, all right," Lily said, looking back to the others with a bemused expression. "See you down there?"

"See you," Alice said, nodding, though Cassie didn't miss her distrustful glare at Snape. The three girls continued on their way to the Great Hall, leaving Lily behind with Snape, and as soon as they were out of earshot Marlene began to speak.

"Merlin, he creeps me out!" she said, shivering. "I don't understand why Lily's friends with him!"

"They grew up together," Alice said knowingly. "But I agree – something about him doesn't sit right."

"James said that he's interested in the Dark Arts," Cassie put in, and though they frowned at the mention of the Marauder, they didn't argue.

"Seems likely," Alice said. "He hangs around with that awful Slytherin gang, and I'm pretty sure he was the one who jinxed little Matilda Smethley last year."

"Wonder what he wants with Lily?" Marlene mused. "He usually doesn't seek her out like that; seems like he always waits in the shadows for Lily to make the first move."

"Marlene, don't be rude!" Cassie chastised, and the other two turned to her incredulously before she grinned, dropping her faux disapproval. "You know vampires don't like direct sunlight!"

They all burst out laughing at this, and their giggles were still subsiding by the time they entered the Great Hall, heading for their usual seats at the table with Cassie joining them once more.

She walked past the Marauders, giving them a cheery wave and noticing the blush staining Marlene's cheeks behind her. They waved back, taking her absence in stride, before her eyes flicked to Sirius, seeing him staring moodily at her. She quirked a brow, but he turned away as if he hadn't seen her, leaving her to only frown and continue on to their seats.

"What was that all about?" Alice asked her when they had sat down, and Cassie looked to her quizzically. "What?"

Alice smirked at her as she began to spear a few pieces of ham onto her plate, jerking her chin at her as she said, _"That._ It looked to me like Sirius Black was a tad bit disappointed you weren't sitting with him today."

Cassie rolled her eyes, silently cursing when her cheeks flared anyway. "Oh, come off it. He's just glad I'm not there to bruise his ego anymore."

Alice chuckled at this, though Cassie still didn't like the look in her eye as she began to eat, glancing to Marlene. The blonde girl had her head down, her face faintly red as she poked at her food, but luckily they were all distracted by the morning post.

Alice and Marlene stopped eating long enough to read their multiple letters while Cassie chewed on, not expecting anything until Osbourne landed at her elbow, hooting importantly.

"Ozzy?" she said, putting down her fork and scratching the owl's head in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

In response, he held his leg out to her, where a letter was tied, and she took it warily before setting it down under her plate and feeding a bit of toast to Osbourne. "Thanks, Ozzy. Be a good owl, and don't hog all the mice in the Owlery."

He looked to her as if she had offended him before taking off with the rest of the owls, and she turned her attention to the letter, suddenly feeling apprehensive. She knew it had to be either from her parents or – Merlin forbid it – her brother, and either option sounded unappealing.

Downing a goblet of pumpkin juice, however, she tore open the envelope, not even bothering to look at the sender before she began reading, only to stop when she read but a few abrupt sentences.

 _It's not what it looks like. I'm so sorry. I don't even remember what happened. Please believe me._

Cassie stared at the message, feeling as if she had been dunked into icy water. She tore her eyes away from the parchment, seeing that Alice and Marlene were too busy reading their letters still to pay her any attention, before she looked down the table, instantly catching Remus's eye.

He flashed her a grin before seeming to realize how panicked she looked, for his face immediately folded and his brows scrunched in question, and she shook the parchment in her hands at him, mouthing _Will._

His expression darkened, before he pointed to the doors of the Great Hall, then the watch on his wrist, holding up ten fingers, and she nodded, the message clear.

Remus turned back to his mates, and Cassie started when Lily suddenly sat down beside her, her pretty heart-shaped face flushed and looking troubled, and Cassie scooted down to make room for her.

"Hey, Lily," Marlene greeted, looking up from her letter finally. "What's got you so riled up?"

Lily shook her head, now even more flustered. "Nothing – I – I just…" She trailed off after seeing their skeptical faces, before groaning and plopping her head down on the table with a firm thud. "Severus asked me to go to Slughorn's party with him," she said in defeat, and the other three shared a high-browed glance.

"Poor bloke," Marlene commented drily, going back to her letter and taking a sip from her tea. "Did you let him down easy, at least?"

Lily looked up from underneath a curtain of fiery hair. "No," she said miserably, and they all gaped. "He just asked as a friend!" she protested at their shock. "And I told him I was going with Cassie, but that I'd meet him there!"

"Oh, Lily," Alice said, patting her hand sympathetically. "You really can't see how smitten he is with you, can't you?"

Lily opened and closed her mouth, her face now a furious shade of red, and Cassie, sensing another "Remus Lupin-fancies-you" debacle, intervened before anything else was said at the bright witch's expense.

"Y'know what's great?" Cassie broke in, reaching into her book bag and pulling out _The Hobbit._ "This book. Simply wonderful. Lily, I'd like to thank you _so much_ for giving this to me. I can understand why the Muggles all like it."

She set the book down on the table, everyone's attention now on her as she rifled through the pages. "I just got past chapter three, and there was this lovely bit back in chapter two about trolls – the author said you could defeat mountain-trolls just by sunlight! It turns them to stone! Isn't that utterly absurd?"

"I think you just made me lose my appetite," Alice said, clanking down her spoon, and Marlene grunted in agreement. "I'm going to History of Magic now."

She and Marlene got up and left for class, leaving just Cassie and Lily, the latter smiling gratefully and squeezing her hand.

"You're the best," Lily whispered, getting up also, and Cassie just shrugged. "I try."

Swinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing some toast, Lily headed after the other two girls, and Cassie followed suit, gesturing to Remus as she went.

She found an abandoned classroom on the first floor and waited, pacing anxiously with the note still clutched in her hand, and five minutes later Remus came in, the other three Marauders in tow.

"I hereby call this Marauders meeting in session!" James said, banging an imaginary gavel, and Cassie raised her brows.

"I'm not a Marauder," she pointed out, but James just waved her off.

"You can be the mascot or something," he said, and she rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks."

"What happened, Cassie?" Remus said, gesturing to the note in her hand. "You said that Will wrote you?"

She nodded, suddenly apprehensive again as she opened the message. "It's not so much a letter as it is a plea," she said. "And he didn't sign it, but I know it must be him – just listen: _It's not what it looks like. I'm so sorry. I don't even remember what happened. Please believe me."_

She looked up, her hands shaking slightly as she met their eyes, each one intense and thoughtful. She met Sirius's eyes, and he smirked at her out of reflex, though the familiar gesture was enough to slow the race of her heartbeat down to a normal level again.

"It could be a trick," James said slowly, raising his hands when her sharp gaze landed on him. "Cassie, the last time you saw him, the guy was a huge prick, and was practically trying to recruit you into the Death Eaters. I'm just saying it's a possibility that he's trying to get you to sympathize so he can work his way in."

She bit her lip, uncertain, though what James said did make sense. But then she felt a wave of guilt, wondering when she had become so mistrustful of her brother, before a voice in the back of her mind said _since he became a traitor._

Shaking off the voice, she let out a heavy sigh. "Maybe you're right, James. But the way he worded it…it sounds almost desperate."

The four boys shuffled again, trading uncomfortable glances. "Is there any reason why he would say that?" Remus asked, studying her carefully. "Anything to suggest that this isn't some ploy?"

She hesitated, her mind following the unbidden direction of the clockwork locket. It had been locked in her bedside table for the better part of a month, and she had nearly forgotten about it until now, though the message it had played for her all those weeks ago came back in haunting clarity.

"I think there might be," she said slowly, and they looked stunned when she told them about the locket and the message left by Will inside it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," James said, holding up his hands as if she were a wild hippogriff he was trying to rein back in. "You mean to tell me that your brother – y'know, a _Death Eater_ – left some cryptic as hell message in a locket for you that basically warns against Darkness adding to its number? _What the hell?"_

"Repeat the thing again," Remus said, staring at the floor and cupping his chin in his hand, and she did, reluctantly.

 _"A thousand years' slumber, in a tomb beyond light/If Darkness adds to its number, the world shall fall to night,"_ she recited, looking to the sandy-haired boy questioningly. "D'you have something?"

"I'm just…trying to think…" he muttered, and Cassie saw Peter looking around the room in helpless confusion, obviously not having any clue as to what anything meant.

"It's rubbish," Sirius said skeptically. "C'mon, that's a load of griffin dung. Who puts that in a locket?"

"Will doesn't do anything random," Cassie said, glaring at him. "Everything he does has a purpose – trust me, I would know. I'm his sister."

"Well, he's not a very good brother if he doesn't even take the time to explain what in the bloody hell his message to his sister means." He raised a pointed eyebrow, and Cassie grit her teeth.

"Sirius, this is definitely something to be concerned about," Remus said, frowning. "Cassie's right; this message is too pointed to not mean anything."

"Then please enlighten me as to what it means, Remus," he said, as if speaking to a small child, "because it seems to me that the bloke's being a git, as per usual nowadays."

"That's my _brother_ you're talking about, Black," she snapped, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"My bad. Your _brother_ is just being a git, Cassie. Simple as that."

"Piss off, Sirius," she hissed, suddenly angry at his flippant attitude. "You don't know my brother—"

"Nor do I want to," he shot back. "Not if he's running around with a Dark Mark and torturing Muggles, and not to mention hurting _you_ and causing _you_ to deal with all this shit—"

"I didn't ask for any of this!" she reminded him hotly. "But he's still my brother, and I still want to look out for him, something you don't seem to understand!"

His grey eyes practically bugged at this, and his olive skin was slowly turning a deep shade of maroon the longer he stared at her, and she was quite taken aback – she had never seen him look so upset before.

"Don't act like you know me," he growled. "You don't know the first _thing_ about me, Alderfair."

And with that, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the classroom, slamming the door behind him and causing Peter to jump from where he was perched on top of a desk.

There was a very tense silence following Sirius's departure, and all of them started (Peter nearly tumbling to the floor) when the bell rang throughout the castle.

"We'll talk tomorrow," Cassie grumbled, grabbing her things and heading out the door. It closed with a snap behind her, leaving James, Remus, and Peter all standing in the classroom staring at each other.

"Well," James said finally, with fake enthusiasm, "it was nice while it lasted, eh?"

* * *

The rest of the day passed in relative silence and glaring, as Cassie and Sirius didn't seem keen on approaching the other after their row. James flitted back and forth between them, obviously trying to coax some sort of apology out of either of them, but they didn't budge. James stopped trying after lunch, and thus she spent the afternoon brooding, only occasionally speaking to the girls, who were more than happy to leave her with her sulky self until the time came to prepare for Slughorn's party.

"Cass, the party starts in twenty minutes!" Lily cried when she walked out of the washroom and saw Cassie still lying on the bed where she had left her an hour ago, reading _The Hobbit._ "Why aren't you ready?"

"I'm not in a party mood," she grumbled, flipping the page and continuing to read. She had just reached the part where Bard and Thranduil had come to treat with Thorin, and she was too invested now to stop. She heard Lily sigh from where she was standing in front of the full-length mirror, applying lipstick.

"Look, you asked me to come with you, and you are _not_ standing me up," she said firmly, turning around and planting her hands on her hips. "C'mon, Cassie."

Cassie rolled her eyes, reluctantly closing her book and getting up, sifting through her trunk to find what she needed.

Ten minutes later, she was dressed in a sleeveless blouse that was a silvery-grey and a pair of nice Muggle jeans, too dark to be considered casual, before throwing on a black cardigan and slipping on a pair of flats.

"Let's go," she said, after running a brush through her hair, but she stopped when she saw Lily looking her over critically. "What?"

"That's it?" she asked, gesturing to her. "That's all you're gonna do?"

She rolled her eyes, not in the mood to once again be criticized for her lack of fashion or beauty sense. "Yes, this is it. Now come on, before I change my mind."

Shrugging, but still looking judgmental, she followed her down the stairs and they emerged into the common room, just in time to greet James as he came down the boys' staircase.

"Save your breath, Potter," Lily sighed, holding up a hand when the boy saw her and opened his mouth, probably to say something embarrassing. He stared after her with a goofy expression as she went to wait by the portrait hole, before Cassie slapped him on the back of the head.

"Oi! What was that for?" he demanded, and she huffed irritably.

"Just don't do anything stupid," she said, marching away, but he caught her by her elbow and pulled her back.

"Are you still mad about the Sirius thing?" he asked, and she scowled as she tugged her arm out of his grasp.

"Yes, I'm still mad," she said. "What gave it away?"

He rolled his eyes. "Merlin, you're almost as dramatic as he is," he said in a pained voice, before looking back to her seriously. "He's just trying to be logical, in the harsh, terrible way that he does. Give him some benefit of the doubt; he wasn't bashing your brother."

"Then what about the whole 'you don't know the first thing about me, Alderfair'?" she questioned. "Was that his way of saying sorry?"

"Will you stop trying to bite my head off?" he said exasperatedly. "I'm trying to make amends here."

"That's _his_ job, not yours," she retorted. "He's a big boy; he can apologize to me himself."

James sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "Fine, whatever. Let's just go."

He joined her and Lily as they walked through the corridors down to Slughorn's office, the three wrapped in a sweltering silence as each was lost to their own thoughts. Cassie could hear the classical music playing from a corridor away, and she wrinkled her nose, already envisioning how boring this dinner party was going to be as they made their way to the door.

"James, m'boy!" Slughorn said jovially when he spotted them enter. "Good to see you, good to see you! And it seems you've brought both the lovely Miss Evans _and_ Miss Alderfair with you!"

"Glad to be here, sir," James said, shaking his hand and suddenly looking every bit the pureblood he was. "You know I never miss a chance to cheat you out of some wine and good food."

Slughorn laughed, clapping James on the shoulder before steering him away from the girls. "Cheeky lad! Now, come, there's some people I'd like you to meet…"

The two disappeared into the steadily growing crowd, leaving Cassie and Lily standing awkwardly for a moment by themselves.

"Er, drinks?" Lily said, gesturing to a table laden with expensive crystal and exquisite foods, and Cassie nodded, following her over to the table. They each grabbed a glass of elf-wine and stood there idly, chatting nonsensically as they surveyed the room.

It seemed Slughorn had expanded the dimensions of his office to that of a small ballroom, as there was a dance floor in the middle beneath a glittering chandelier, and deep purple tapestries adorned the walls, lending the atmosphere one of decadence and supremeness. Cassie was unfortunately familiar with the air of aristocracy from the countless dinner parties she had had to attend with her family in the past, but Lily looked to be way out of her element, eyeing the elegant witches and wizards around them and shifting nervously on her feet.

"Relax, Lily," Cassie said, brushing her elbow with her fingers. "See? No one's even looking at us twice."

Lily didn't respond, not seeming to have heard her, and Cassie sighed, turning when she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Yes?"

"Fancy seeing you here," Avery greeted, cocking a brow at her, and she stifled the urge to groan, only letting out a short sigh.

"You knew I'd be here," she reminded him, and he grinned into his wineglass.

"That I did." His blue eyes sparkled as he took her in, and she looked away, suddenly uncomfortable. "Strange how well Muggle attire suits you," he commented, and she whirled on him, her father's accusations of blood traitor ringing in her ears.

"And what exactly are you insinuating about that?" she demanded, shrugging off Lily's hand on her shoulder and meeting Avery's gaze challengingly.

"Nothing at all," he said, smirking and seemingly amused by her ire. "I am just stating a fact."

Cassie snorted, sipping from her wine and wishing he would go away, but she cursed when she realized that now was an opportune moment to get some information out of him. Swallowing down the wine, she turned back to him and said as casually as she could, "So, how's that extra credit assignment for Defense coming along?"

"Oh, you know," he waved his hand airily, his eyes now surveying the people around them. "Quite a bore, honestly."

"Didn't you do the Founders, like I suggested?" she asked innocently, and he smirked down at her.

"I am," he said. "Not much to go on, really. People choose to talk more about their achievements as the creators of Hogwarts rather than what magic they were best at."

Cassie frowned, not knowing what else to say without being too obvious, though luckily at that moment Avery was being called away by some ancient-looking witch with a Bulgarian accent.

He inclined his head to her before disappearing into the crowd, and she heard Lily breathe deeply from behind her.

"Goodness, Cassie," she said faintly, staring after Avery. "You know how to make friends with the wrong sort, don't you?"

Cassie snorted. "Avery is definitely not my friend," she said, her eyes searching through the crowds. "Listen, I've got to find James – you want to come with?"

Lily made a face at her. "No, I'm fine here with this lovely buffet behind me. Go on; I'll catch up to you later."

Cassie squeezed her arm briefly before moving off in search of the bespectacled boy, wondering how she hadn't been able to find his obnoxious self before now. She squeezed in between a couple of Ravenclaw seventh years and spotted a flash of messy black hair, but before she could start after James, someone had grabbed her arm from behind.

"What d'you want, Avery?" she sighed, turning, before stopping in her tracks, her eyes widening when she took in black hair, grey eyes, and olive skin. "Sirius?"

But it wasn't Sirius, she could tell from the way the boy's face slipped into a sneer, his eyes cold and haughty, nothing like the emotional ones she was so used to seeing in Sirius's face. This boy was also shorter, and broader in the shoulders, and not quite as handsome, but she recognized who he was when he began to speak.

"Been spending too much time around charming Sirius, love?" he said, his voice lower and more controlled than his brother's, and his darker eyes raked her over intently.

"Regulus, is it?" she said, regaining her wits and regarding the younger Black coolly. "I don't think we've met before."

"I make it a point not to socialize with Gryffindors," he said arrogantly, and she had to refrain from rolling her eyes. "But I recognize you; we attended the same manners classes when we were children."

She only hummed in response, not recalling that at all as he continued. "You're also the talk of the school right now: Death Eater brother, crazy bitch who attacked a fourth year, slagging around with those so-called Marauders…well, you get the point."

Despite her best efforts, she could feel her face reddening, and she only hoped the lighting was dim enough to where he couldn't tell, though the smirk on his face said otherwise.

"Is there something you wanted, Black, or would you mind doing me the favor of sodding off?" she relied scathingly, and he chuckled, teeth gleaming in the light.

"Just thought I'd give you a little tip, Alderfair," he said, shrugging, before suddenly leaning close. "You've piqued the interest of several Slytherins now, and I'd watch your back if I were you."

She shivered as his breath tickled her cheek, and she whispered back, "Is that a warning or a threat?"

He didn't reply, only gazing at her with his dark grey eyes, before stepping away and smiling softly.

Cassie turned, making to walk away, before his voice called after her lowly. "And whatever you think you have on Carlisle, just leave it alone."

She whirled around, about to ask what he meant, but she stopped when she realized that he was gone, having disappeared into the crowd behind her.

Suddenly feeling very confined and uncomfortable, she weaved her way to the exit at the door, stepping out into the dungeons and shivering when the cool air hit her clammy skin. She had to find James, tell him about what had happened with Regulus Black, but first, she needed some air.

She wandered up to the ground floor and began to meander along the corridors, not even thinking of Filch or Peeves or anyone else who would find her roaming about after dark, her mind too filled with jumbled thoughts of a mystery that was slowly becoming a much larger thing than she ever imagined.

Sighing heavily, suddenly exhausted, she found an empty classroom on her left and jiggled open the door, stepping inside to find a moment of peace where she could get her brain back together.

To her horror, the classroom was already occupied, and she froze in the doorway when she saw two figures in a compromising position atop the large desk at the front of the room, and before she could stop herself, she let out a tiny squeak before clapping her had to her mouth, mortified.

"Bloody—" One of the figures struggled to stand up, and the shorter one slid off of the taller one's lap, and there was a rustling of clothing as Cassie began to splutter.

"I'm so sorry!" she said, backing out of the classroom. "I had no idea—"

But she stopped dead when a voice, filled with incredulity and panic, said, "Cassie?"

 _Oh, no._

The second voice chimed in, this one sickeningly familiar as well, and Cassie could feel the blood rushing to her face. "Wait, Cass? Is that you?"

There was another rustle, and then an indistinguishable mutter, before the room was suddenly filled with wandlight, and the whole terrible scene came to life before her eyes.

 _Oh, no._

She was staring into the shocked faces of none other than Sirius Black, and Marlene.

* * *

 **Please review! You know you want to...**

 **Haven't had a true cliffhanger yet, so I thought I'd end on a high note :)**

 ***Note: the previous version of this chapter had Alice listed as the giver of the book, but after re-reading chapter 11 I realized that Lily was actually the one to give Cassie the book. My b***

 **Next Chapter: _The Nosiness of Cassie Alderfair_**

 **xx**


	16. The Nosiness of Cassie Alderfair

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **And another chapter! Thanks for reading!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time: lizy2000, heroherondaletotherescue, RedRoses130, highwayblues1, Scot-freee, treesliketorches, Skysword, , and wickedgrl123!**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: The Nosiness of Cassie Alderfair

She was, quite literally, a deer stuck in wandlight as the brightness emanating from Sirius's wand seared into her eyes, along with the petrifying images of catching two of her mates in an empty classroom in the middle of the night.

She mumbled something unintelligible along the lines of _"ad-gah...der"_ before common sense finally kicked in, and she turned quickly, all but fleeing back down the corridor the way she had come.

Mortification such as she had never felt swelled inside of her, and she thought she might die from the severity of it, her mind unable to stop replaying the scene she had just witnessed over and over again.

 _It's all a dream. A very bad, disturbing, terrifying dream. Everything will be all right when I wake up. Oh, Merlin…_

"Cassie! Cassie, wait!"

She quickened her pace, nearly jogging now as she heard footsteps chasing after her, and her embarrassment only grew when she realized that it was Sirius pursuing her.

She hooked a sharp left down the corridor, attempting to make it back to the ground floor and the relative safety of the dungeons beyond, but she never made it as Sirius grabbed hold of her arm just then.

"I don't want to hear it!" she said shrilly, refusing to look at him as her face glowed redder than it already was. "I just want to pretend like nothing just happened and I didn't see you and one of my best friends doing...things!"

"Cool it, will you, princess?" He sounded exasperated, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. "It wasn't anything serious, all right? You can stop acting like you've just seen me naked."

"Been there, done that, and this was infinitely worse," she replied, staring up at the high ceiling above her, and he gave a deep sigh.

"Cassie, please look at me."

His tone was so calm, so soothing, that she found herself trusting him and dropped her eyes, meeting his silver gaze and swallowing nervously.

He looked gloriously rumpled, his hair disheveled and falling into his face, and he hadn't buttoned the top buttons of his shirt, but she snapped her eyes back to his quickly before she could notice anything else, wishing the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

"There we go," he said softly, giving her a slight smirk that seemed to tighten something in her chest into a taut strand, quivering like it was ready to break. "It was no big deal, yeah? Stop acting so ashamed."

And just like that, the strand snapped.

"'No big deal?'" she repeated scathingly, and his smirk wavered a little at her harsh tone. "Oh, I'm sorry, you must have me mistaken for some pervy third year that just _happened_ upon two older students getting it on in an abandoned classroom in the middle of the night! _Not_ two of my mates who, until now, had no prior contact with each other as far as I knew!"

He frowned down at her. "Well, it was an honest mistake, wasn't it?"

She laughed bitterly. "I guess you're forgetting about the part where Lily and Alice and Mar didn't speak to me for _weeks_ because I was hanging out with you! And now here you are, shacking up with Marlene as if you didn't know what our row had been about in the first place!"

He put his hands up in a placating gesture, but dropped them when she appeared even angrier, her teeth clenching together with an audible snap.

"Look, Cassie, this isn't a recent thing," he said, sighing. "This started a few weeks before you and I officially became friends-"

"Like that's supposed to make it any better?" She was nearly yelling now, but she didn't care – how was he not seeing the fault in this? "Sirius, we weren't speaking for _three weeks,_ and in all the time I was off gallivanting with you, you never once decided to mention 'oh, by the way, I'm hooking up with your mate Marlene'?"

"I thought you knew, or she would have told you when you made up," he said defensively, now looking thoroughly annoyed. "Stop pinning the blame all on me, all right?"

"I'll do whatever I damn well please," she snapped, jabbing her finger into his chest. "This isn't just about Marlene and your lies, either – you insulted my brother, _and_ me—"

"Since when did I insult you?" he asked, bewildered, and she threw up her hands in frustration.

"'You don't know the first _thing_ about me, Alderfair!'" she mimicked in a high voice, and he appeared taken aback by her outburst.

"You don't," he said darkly, gritting his teeth, and she scoffed.

"Obviously not," she retorted, "since I've never seen you act this way."

"Stop acting like you've got me all figured out," he snarled, and now it was her turn to be stunned. His grey eyes had morphed from a light silver to a darkened storm cloud, and the intensity with which they bored into her made her feel like lightning was sizzling across her skin.

"You said it yourself," he continued, "we've been hanging around each other, what? Three weeks? A month at the most, if you count the times you were there with my mates but we didn't speak to each other. And suddenly, you think that you know how I work, what's going on inside my head, but you _don't._ And if you knew _anything_ about me, or my life, then you would understand why I don't trust your brother."

"Then let me understand!" she argued. "You're acting like you expect me to figure you out, mystery and all, yet you give me _nothing_ to work with. I've told you and your mates things that I'm not even sure I should trust you with yet, so the least you could do is help me understand _you."_

There was a crackling silence between them, and Cassie just watched his face in the dim light of the corridor, his expression shifting too fast for her to decipher what he was thinking. She stared at the arch of his mouth above his lips, where her head rested just shy of the bridge of his nose, waiting for him to say something. He seemed to be struggling with himself, and another moment of silence passed in which he didn't say anything before she sighed, stepping away and shaking her head.

"Just forget it," she said tiredly. "I'm going to bed."

She turned and walked away, not even flinching when she heard him curse and start after her again. "Cassie, _wait,_ dammit—"

"And just what are you two doing out of bed?"

They turned in the direction they had just come from only to see Professor McGonagall staring them down with her formidable gaze, and Cassie nearly groaned aloud at her rotten luck.

"Just on our way back from Slughorn's party, Minnie," Sirius said easily, though his tone was still flat and angry, and Cassie gaped at his rudeness, staring between him and the stern witch fearfully.

Professor McGonagall raked her eyes over them, obviously noting Cassie's semi-formal attire and Sirius's ruffled appearance, and she seemed close to rolling her eyes.

"Well, get back to your dormitories, then," she said, gesturing them on. "And if I catch you two wandering the corridors again after curfew I will be more than happy to assign you both more detentions."

With muttered apologies and hasty goodnights, they retreated back up to the common room, not daring to go anywhere else with their narrow escape from their Head of House. The going was tense, and she tried not to be aware of Sirius walking a few steps behind her, shoes scuffing the floor and hands in his pockets, though it was hard, as his aura seemed to radiate displeasure.

They made it to the Fat Lady, and after muttering a sullen "nimble wimble" the portrait swung forward and permitted them entrance. They climbed into the common room without speaking, but when she peeled off to the girls' staircases, she heard Sirius give a light snort from behind her.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, _what?"_ she snapped, turning to face him and crossing her arms. He was still standing near the portrait hole, hands still in his pockets, and she dearly wished she could give him a nice shove in that moment.

"So that's it, then?" he asked, eyes glittering. "You're just going to be mad at me now until you decide not to be?"

"Until _you_ decide to stop being a git," she corrected him, and he truly looked beyond exasperated at this point.

"D'you even realize how dramatic you are sometimes?"

"That's rich, coming from the drama queen himself."

He sighed heavily out his nose, running both hands through his hair in agitation and looking like he was trying very hard not to hit something. Or her, specifically.

"Why am I even friends with you again?" He seemed to be asking himself more than her, but the comment still stung, nonetheless. As his words sunk in, she seemed to deflate in on herself, all the fight draining out of her body and leaving her exhausted and uncertain.

"I don't know," she said quietly, and he stared at her strangely before his words clicked.

"Oh, fu – Cassie, stop, you know I didn't mean it like that." He stepped closer to her before halting, dropping his hands as she bit her lip, not knowing whether to be angry or break down.

He looked genuinely worried as he watched her, speaking hurriedly, "Look, I – I'm not good at this, okay? I've never had a friend that's a girl – like an actual mate I can hang around with. And that – what I just said – was nothing, Cassie, really. You're my friend. I'm sorry."

She held up a hand, cutting off his rambling when she could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"It doesn't matter," she said lowly. "Can we – can we just talk tomorrow, Sirius? I just can't do this right now."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but after seeing the silent plea in her gaze he simply nodded.

"'Course," he said gruffly. "Er…goodnight, Cassie."

"'Night, Sirius."

She had just set foot on the bottom step of the staircase when his voice spoke up again, and she paused to listen, though didn't turn back around.

"My middle name's Orion, by the way," he said quietly, and she wondered if he was even still talking to her, but he had to be. There was no one else in the common room with them. "It's a small something to work with, but it's a start, eh?"

When she didn't say anything, she heard him start up the boys' staircase, before her soft voice reached out to him.

"Mine's Marie."

A small smile graced his lips, and though the two never looked back to each other, they knew that some small truce had sprouted between them, like a bridge spanning across a wild and stormy sea to reach calmer waters and a brighter shore.

* * *

Cassie trudged her way up the staircase, walking slowly to her dormitory and cursing herself for ever getting involved with the Marauders, and Avery, and Regulus Black now, apparently. Her life had been much simpler when she was still the Invisible Girl; sure, people would still know about her brother, still jeer at her for it, but they were strangers, people she could easily brush off at the end of the day. But now she was starting to regret ever opening up to Remus Lupin and allowing him and his mates to worm their way into her life like this.

 _Oh, come off it,_ she scoffed to herself in her head. _Stop acting like such a prat. You know you wouldn't go back and change it now._

Though bizarre to think about, she had to agree with her little voice, and she suddenly felt guilty for ever thinking she was better off not knowing them. True, it had been a little more than a month since they had become friends, but she was starting to genuinely like them, and perhaps that was why she had been so shocked and angry at Sirius.

He was a berk for not telling her, but at the same time she knew that it shouldn't matter to her. What _should_ matter was if he hurt Marlene in any way. Then he would regret the day he was ever born, if she had any say in the matter.

She was just reaching for the doorknob when there was a sudden scuffle from down the hall, and Marlene's anxious voice called out, "Cassie? Is that you?"

Stifling a sigh, since there was no use denying it, she said, "Yeah, it's me, Mar."

She felt Marlene's uncomfortably warm hands grasping her own before the other girl was already rambling, whispering in the darkness of the hall. "Cassie, I'm _so_ sorry you had to see that. And I'm sorry for not telling you about Sirius and me sooner – I know you and him are mates now, so I assumed he would've mentioned something, and the whole thing with Lily – oh, Merlin, you must hate me now, I'm _such_ a hypocrite—"

"Mar," Cassie said firmly, cutting off her apologies, and she felt the other girl's fingers tighten in her own nervously. "Look, I'm not mad, okay? It's your life, you do what you want with it." She closed her eyes, fighting off the headache that was slowly growing stronger and sighing. "Does Lily know?"

She could sense Marlene shaking her head. "Not yet. But I'm going to tell her. Tomorrow."

"She won't be mad, Mar," Cassie said, hearing the worry in her friend's voice. "Not after me. And we swore no boy was ever going to come between us again, remember?"

"Yes, that's true," she said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself. "I'm still really sorry, Cass. You, erm, shouldn't have had to find out that way."

"There are worse ways," she said, shrugging. "Thank Merlin it wasn't the prefects' bathroom or anything—"

"Ugh, gross, Cass," she said, shuddering. "You really know how to ruin the moment, don't you?"

"It's one of my specialties," she replied, smirking, before leading Marlene into the dorm. "Now go to bed and leave me alone. I have a raging headache and I want to sleep it off."

Marlene nudged her with her elbow playfully. "All right, goodnight, Cass."

Cassie shooed her off to her bed, being careful not to disturb Alice as she changed into her nightclothes. Lily's bed was empty, and she assumed the other girl was still at Slughorn's party before feeling another faint flicker of guilt, wondering if the red-haired witch was looking for her, or if James had found out anything pertaining to Avery or Carlisle.

Shrugging it off and promising herself she would deal with it in the morning, she climbed into bed and lay there for a while, staring out the window and trying to figure out why she felt so wrong.

* * *

"Wait, so Alderfair walked in on you doing _what?"_

Sirius grimaced at James's shock, not quite meeting his mate's eyes as he pulled on his Quidditch robes. Weatherly had insisted on an early Saturday morning practice despite them just having played a game two weeks ago, reiterating the point all morning that the outcome of the Slytherin versus Hufflepuff match next week would determine who they played next and that they should be prepared for anything. (Sirius quite liked the thought of Weatherly being prepared for his broomstick to be shoved up his arse, but that was his personal preference).

"Nothing serious," he said hastily, yanking on his boots. "McKinnon and I were just, y'know…snogging."

"Clothes on or off?" James asked, his eyebrows nearly raised to his hairline, and Sirius made a face at him.

"On. Sort of," he replied, smacking James on the arm with his glove when the other boy made disgusting kissing noises at him.

"And Alderfair saw it?" He dodged Sirius's hit nimbly, voice turning serious again when Sirius nodded reluctantly.

"Poor girl," he said sympathetically, mussing up his hair. "Is that why she looked so awkward at breakfast this morning?"

Sirius shrugged, frowning when he recalled the way her eyes had skimmed over him that morning as she had walked with Marlene to sit with Evans and Fortescue. Marlene had given him a little embarrassed wave that he had returned with a nod, though his attention had been mostly on Cassie, wondering if she was still angry at him from the night before. She hadn't looked mad though, to his relief, but she had appeared faintly annoyed when Marlene had insisted on taking her arm and chattering in her ear, the blonde girl apparently trying very hard to make sure Cassie had forgiven her.

James clucked his tongue reproachfully. "Way to go, Pads. Now she's probably terrified of you sticking your tongue down _her_ throat next—"

Sirius rolled his eyes, choosing to not even deign that with a response, but James went on. "And an empty classroom, really? No wonder why you got caught – I always take my birds up to the Astronomy Tower, no one ever thinks to look there—"

"Oi, Potter, Black, are you two going to shut it or do I have to make you both run extra laps today?" Weatherly was glaring at them from the door of the changing rooms, already dressed in his Keeper uniform and looking like a boulder had learned how to wear clothes.

"Nah, don't worry about us, Weatherly," James said, pretending to salute. "I'm in top form, and Sirius already did some laps with Marlene McKinnon last night—"

"You did _what_ with my sister?" Mikey McKinnon groaned, quite green in the face as Sirius shoved a snickering James roughly into a locker.

"Nothing, kid," Sirius grumbled to the fourth year, and Mikey looked away, muttering about how he was going to be sick while the rest of the team looked on in entertainment.

Weatherly cleared his throat before speaking, looking irritated. "Right, then. Five laps around the pitch running and another five on brooms when you're finished. Let's get started."

The seven players hustled out of the changing rooms and began to jog around the pitch, the dry grass crackling under their shoes and the cold winter air stinging their faces pink. Sirius welcomed the cold, letting it fill his lungs and invigorate his senses as he stayed by James's side, the other boy's stride long and sure as they completed their first lap.

"So," James said on their third lap, his voice nonchalant, "how d'you feel about Cassie finding out?"

"Finding out what?" Sirius grumbled, and James rolled his eyes.

"You and McKinnon," he said wryly. "Considering _I_ didn't find out about it until thirty minutes ago, I'm assuming you didn't tell her?"

"It's not like McKinnon and I are dating," he said, tone brusque. "It's just hooking up."

"Something tells me she wouldn't be too pleased with either scenario," James pointed out, and Sirius grit his teeth.

"If you care so much about how she feels then why don't you ask her yourself?" he retorted.

"I'm asking how _you_ feel about how she feels," James said, and Sirius turned to stare at him in bafflement.

"That's completely mental," he said, but James just shrugged slightly.

"Cassie's our friend," he said. "And after your row yesterday, I just want to be sure that there's not going to be any tension now—"

"There's not," Sirius said firmly as they completed their laps and grabbed up their brooms. "In fact, just to please you especially Prongs, I'll talk to her tonight."

"Good," James said, mounting his broom and casting him a look he did not like at all. "Remember, Pads, she's our ally, and a friend now. So just…don't ruin that, yeah?"

Sirius looked to him, affronted. "Since when do I ever ruin things?"

James just grinned before clapping him on the shoulder.

"Just stick with McKinnon, ya hear? Don't get Cassie involved."

And with that bit of advice, he pushed off the ground and joined the rest of the team circling the pitch on their brooms, leaving a dumbstruck Sirius behind.

* * *

"It's just so weird," Cassie was saying to Alice later that day. "Like, Sirius doesn't think it's a big deal, but Mar was practically bugging about it. And _I'm_ the one stuck in the middle, which is the last place I want to be."

She was lying down on Alice's bed, her legs swinging over the footboard as the other girl lay on her stomach beside her, a pillow under her elbows as she tried to copy some flower design from that month's issue of _Witch Weekly_ on her nails. Marlene had pulled Lily out of the dorm with some vague excuse about the library, but she assumed the blonde witch was going to tell Lily about Sirius. Alice already knew, since Cassie couldn't keep any juicy secret away from her, but she hadn't seemed surprised, more resigned than anything.

"It's just who they are as people," she said reasonably, grunting when she messed up a petal and quickly using a piece of cotton to fix it. "Black's been messing around with girls since the end of third year, and I doubt he sees anything long-term with Mar, while on the other hand…"

"Mar falls in love at the drop of a hat," Cassie finished, frowning, "and that's what I'm afraid of."

"Well, whatever happens, at least we know she'll be over it quickly," Alice pointed out, and Cassie had to agree. Though it sounded harsh, Marlene always bounced back after a breakup, usually by convincing herself that so-and-so was wrong and she was right, and she figured her inevitable split with Sirius would be no different.

Alice finished up her nails while Cassie perused the pages of the glossy magazine, her eyes flicking over moving pictures of witches and wizards in lurid, fashionable robes and exotic makeup styles, wondering how many had been handpicked personally by her mother. She imagined only a few, as Eleanor was extremely picky and her standards were high, and she knew her mother would want only the best and the most beautiful models in the world. The thought made her feel slightly insignificant, and she flipped to the first page, where she knew all the editors' names and photographs to be.

She spotted her mother almost immediately, her face being one of the bigger ones on the page, wearing sparkling magenta robes and her trademark peacock-feathered quill perched behind one of her diamond studded ears. Despite the layers of flawless makeup, Cassie could still see her features represented there: the straight nose, high cheekbones, and arching brows, all framed by a curtain of dark brown hair, though Eleanor's was richer than her own, almost black. The features all looked better on her mother too, as she had inherited her father's thin lips and upturned eyes, while Eleanor's full lips and blue almond-shaped eyes made her one of the most beautiful witches in Britain.

"I keep forgetting how much you look like your mum," Alice said, staring over Cassie's shoulder as Eleanor's picture smiled and blew kisses out to them. "You're both so pretty."

Cassie scoffed, tossing the magazine back to her friend. "You're lucky she's not here to hear that," she said. "She'd probably try and give you an autograph."

"Being best friends with her daughter is more than enough," she replied, pinching Cassie's side and giggling when she swatted her away, though Cassie couldn't help but laugh, too.

"You're so embarrassing," she moaned, covering her face, and Alice laughed again before sitting up and stretching.

"Y'know, I was kind of wondering…" Cassie peeked from between her fingers to see Alice staring down at her thoughtfully, and she raised her brows questioningly. "How do you feel about Mar and Black?"

Cassie removed her hands from her face, frowning up at her friend. "What d'you mean? I already told you that it was weird, and I was kind of pissed no one told me, but it's happening, right? No use worrying about it."

"So you don't feel any way towards it?" Alice pressed, quirking her lips. "Nothing to say about it at all?"

"Er…no," Cassie said, bewildered. "Should I?"

Alice just shrugged, but Cassie sat up, brows furrowed. "Al, you know I'm terribly thick when it comes to this. What are you trying to get at?"

Alice shook her head, saying, "It's nothing, Cass. I just thought…well…"

Cassie nodded, goading her on. "Well…?"

Alice gave her a dry look before raising her hands. "I just thought you and Black were going to hit things off," she said, and Cassie gaped. "The two of you were getting closer, you were with his mates all the time – oh, Cass, don't give me that look."

"No, I will," she said stubbornly. "Why does everyone think that I hang around them because I fancy one of them, or I'm taking turns shagging each one? Al, don't laugh – why can't I just be around them without everyone assuming the worst?"

"Because society sucks," Alice said, waving the magazine in front of her and pointing to a headline reading _HOW TO ENSNARE THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE IN THREE EASY STEPS – NO LOVE POTIONS INVOLVED!_

Cassie slapped the magazine out of her face, scowling. "No kidding. And can we not talk about Sirius Black? Just hearing his name is giving me a headache."

Alice huffed dramatically. "Fine, whatever. Should we go see if Lily's killed Mar yet?"

Cassie sighed, not really wanting to move but knowing that Alice would make her – she hated going places by herself. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

After checking the library and not finding any signs of Marlene's mangled body, the two girls headed down to the Great Hall for a quick lunch before getting started on the mountain of homework they had. Upon entering, Alice elbowed Cassie in the ribs, breaking the girl's gaze away from the Gryffindor table where the Marauders usually sat and gesturing further down, where Lily and Mar were sitting across from each other civilly and eating.

"Well, she's still upright and breathing," Alice remarked as they made their way over to them. "That's always a good sign."

"I dunno," Cassie said. "She might be an Inferius – Lily could've killed her and then brought her back just to kill her again."

Alice snorted loudly, and several heads turned in their direction, including Lily and Marlene's, and the blonde witch nearly wept in relief as they sat down.

"Sooo, how is everybody?" Cassie asked, pouring herself some tea and hoping she could eat before she had to flee if things got nasty.

Lily gave her a look that made the red-haired girl appear as if she were struggling to swallow a mouse, and Marlene smiled sheepishly, which was all the confirmation she needed to begin wolfing down her food.

"Hey, what did we just promise each other?" Alice said, pointing her fork to each girl individually to enunciate her point. "No – boys – come – between – us. Right?"

Marlene nodded a bit too quickly. "Of course!"

Lily sniffed, swallowing the bite she had taken of her chicken gracefully and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Right."

Cassie almost choked on her roasted potatoes in her haste to agree. "Yeah, got it."

"Then it's settled." Alice spread her hands in a peaceful gesture. "Marlene, despite the reputation that precedes Sirius Black, we will support you both in your endeavors – so long as they are appropriate – and we wish you luck."

Cassie raised her teacup. "Hear, hear!"

Lily gave her a dry look, but sighed and nodded at Alice's imploring gaze. "Yes, yes, fine, congratulations. But if he steps one toe out of line, or if he hurts Mar in any way…"

"Then we will gladly castrate him in front of everybody in the courtyard." Cassie finished, and Lily grimaced.

"Well, I wasn't going to go _that_ far…but essentially, yes."

Marlene looked round at them all, her eyes shining. "You are all absolutely the best friends anyone could ask for, you know that?"

Cassie pretended to pose dramatically, but only succeeded in hitting her elbow on her fork and sending it clattering to the floor. "Of course we know, idiot."

The other girls snickered as she reached under the table to retrieve her fork, and after avoiding an enthusiastic second year's swinging foot that almost kicked her in the face, she grabbed a hold of the utensil and sat back up, only to hear Mar squeak, "Sirius, hi!"

She felt Lily stiffen beside her as Mar waved over her shoulder, smiling brilliantly, and Alice pretended to be very interested in her salad as Cassie cleaned her fork off on a napkin, acting as if she hadn't heard Marlene's happy greeting.

"Hullo, love," Sirius returned, and Cassie could only imagine the smirk he was shooting Marlene to make her blush so profusely. "All right, Evans, Fortescue?"

"It's Alice," Alice said, shrugging slightly, and Cassie could practically feel the wink he aimed at the brunette.

"Alice it is, then," he said. "And I'm assuming we're not on good enough terms for Lily yet, eh, Evans?"

"Not even close," Lily replied, taking a sip of gillywater through pursed lips, and Sirius chuckled before Cassie heard him shift behind her.

"Er, Cassie," he said a bit hesitantly. "D'you mind walking with me for a bit?"

Knowing the inevitability of this situation, she drained the last of her tea in one gulp and stood up, nodding.

"I'll be back," she said to the girls, catching Alice's eye and seeing the brunette scrutinizing her and Sirius intently. Lily didn't acknowledge her, and Marlene seemed a bit put out that he hadn't asked her to walk with him, but Sirius was already departing and she followed after him with a small sigh.

She could feel eyes trailing after them as they left the hall, and she followed Sirius a short ways away before he came to rest against a pillar near the front doors, propping his shoulders on the stone and leaning back, arms crossed, the perfect definition of laid back and cool.

"Short walk," she commented, coming to a stop before him, and he rolled his eyes.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked, and she raised her brows. "What?"

"You said let's talk tomorrow," he said, staring at her. "So what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

"When did I say that _I_ had anything more to talk about?" she said, frowning. "You were the one so keen on speaking last night so I thought you had more to say."

He sighed, pinching his nose between his thumb and index finger. "Are you beginning to notice a trend here?"

"That we're both pretty much the most complicated people on the planet?"

"Exactly."

They shared a tiny smirk before Cassie sighed, figuring she had to get the ball rolling at some point. "I'm sorry for freaking last night. Everything is better now that the morning is here and we have all slept on it, and I hope for your sake that you treat Marlene well."

She gave him a sunny smile while he fidgeted against the pillar. "Er, McKinnon and I…aren't exactly an item."

"I know," she said. "I'm aware of your reputation, as is most everybody in this school, and probably Professor Dumbledore as well, but even if it's just many one night stands in a row, I still expect you to be respectful of her and responsible."

He gave her a weird look. "You and James would make formidable parents together, y'know that? The ultimate mum duo."

She rolled her eyes. "Good thing I don't ever plan on marrying him, then. Now is there anything else you'd like to add before we throw this under the bridge?"

He grimaced, rocking back on his heels and staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry for being a git to you and your brother, the git of all gits," he said, smirking when she scowled. "I understand where you're coming from, wanting to protect him, but… I just want you to be careful, Cassie. Those Death Eaters are not to be trifled with, and I believe that caution is the best approach to the matter of the locket and him."

Cassie searched his face for a moment, trying to detect a hint of sarcasm, but it wasn't there. His grey eyes were solemn and sincere when they met hers, and a strange feeling twisted in her gut at the look before she finally nodded.

"Apology accepted," she said. "Thank you, Sirius Orion Black."

"But of course," he said, taking her hand and bowing his shaggy head over it before looking back up to her with a smirk. "Cassiopeia Marie Alderfair."

She made a face at him and he barked out a laugh, and she turned back to the Great Hall just in time to see a gaggle of older Ravenclaw students walking in, and her eyes lit up when she saw Bertram Aubrey amongst them.

She looked back at Sirius with a wicked glint in her eye, and he found himself grinning at her, unused to the sudden look of mischief that had splayed itself over her features and now intrigued as she started back towards the hall.

"What are you doing?" he asked slowly, and she shot him a wink.

"Upholding my side of the deal," she said before practically skipping away, reaching the Ravenclaws just as they were about to enter and tapping Aubrey on the shoulder.

He turned and smiled when he saw her, his features brightening in recognition, and she noticed then how white his teeth were against his tanned skin, finding herself nearly blinded as he said, "Cassie, hey. I haven't seen you in a while. How is everything?"

"Oh, fine," she said, surprised to find that her face wasn't flushed as it normally would've been at this point, leaving her a stuttering, red-faced mess. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," he said, pushing his golden hair off his forehead. "Just trying to graduate at this point, y'know?"

She giggled at this, touching her fingers to her throat at the overly girlish sound that came out, but he didn't seem to notice, still grinning down at her. "So, erm, what's up? Did you need anything?"

"What? Oh, no," she said, waving him off. "I just had something to say."

And before she could stop and process what she was about to do, she said as confidently as she could: "I think you're pretty fit."

He stared at her, bemused, but before he could say anything, she flashed him a brilliant smile and walked away, saying, "Enjoy your lunch!"

She went back to Sirius, who was still lounging against the pillar and was now staring at her as if he had never seen her before, and she couldn't help the swagger in her step as she tossed him a smug grin.

"My part of the deal is done," she said triumphantly. "Now, do you still want to keep your terms or would you like to change them?"

"Merlin's great staff, Cassie," he said in awe. "Did you _see_ how bad that bloke looked? Nearly gaped like a fish out of water."

She shrugged slightly, feeling a little modest as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "When you're friends with someone like Mar, you pick up on a few tricks here and there," she admitted, flushing when he scoffed.

"No kidding," he replied, still looking quite gobsmacked at the whole ordeal. "I think I'd like to up the deal a bit."

"Oh?" She raised her eyebrows, smirking. "Name your terms, then."

"How about this?" He licked his lips, suddenly looking very excited, and she figured that bargaining must be a special talent of his as he leaned close, nearly bouncing on the balls of his feet. "If Aubrey asks you to the next Hogsmeade trip, you still have to buy me anything I want from Honeydukes."

"That's lame, Sirius Black," she said, wrinkling her nose, but she couldn't help the sudden jittery feeling that had coursed through her at the mention of Aubrey asking her out. "Do something else, something more…daring. You _are_ a Marauder after all, aren't you?"

He eyed her with a new appraisal at her words, smirking slightly. "So the princess wants to get her hands dirty?"

"I learned dares from the best," she said, gesturing to him, and he nodded slowly.

"All right," he said. "Here are my terms: if Aubrey asks you to Hogsmeade, you have my express permission to choose any point in time to force me to jump into the Black Lake, completely naked."

She snorted, covering her mouth to stifle her laughter before asking, "And if he doesn't? Then I get to jump in naked?"

His grin turned wolfish. "Nah. Your deal is that if he doesn't, you have to lick my foot."

"That's it?" She wrinkled her nose. "That's so…"

"Lame?" He smirked when she nodded. "Ah, but see, princess, you didn't let me finish." He suddenly leaned in very close, so close she could see the ring of darker grey that lined his irises and smell his cologne, a very expensive and heavenly scent that enticed her to lean forward as well, their faces inches apart.

"Well?" she whispered, dearly wishing she had a mint at that time, but his smirk merely grew.

He flicked a piece of her hair before saying lowly, "You'll find out."

And with that, he brushed past her and began to walk away, and she stood, confused, before whirling around.

"Sirius Black!" she called. "You can't do that!"

All she got in return was a chuckle and a wave before he headed back into the Great Hall, and she could only stare after him, shaking her head in amazement before a gruff hand covered her mouth, smothering her cry of surprise before her vision went dark.

* * *

 **Please review! I'm absolutely blown away by your amazing response to this story so far, so please keep it up!**

 **And another cliffhanger to bolster your incentive ;)**

 **Next Chapter:** _ **The Deal**_

 **xx**


	17. The Deal

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **This chapter went in a completely different direction than I had initially planned, and I blame it all on the characters for having minds of their own. And here ye be warned: sexual innuendos abound in this chapter, and once again, I blame the characters for that one ;)**

 **Thanks for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you especially to my reviewers from last time: highwayblues1, heroherondaletotherescue, Raven that flies at night, treesliketorches, Les Spring Hamilton, Lostferretcom (your wish is my command - hopefully there's enough Remus and Peter in this chapter to sate you ;)), Antyto-sama, ollietrombone, KendraNuclear, redcap64, BlushingBelle (Guest), Guest 1, Guest 2, and Guest 3!**

 **Y'all's response last chapter was amazing - it was the most reviews on this story so far, and I enjoyed reading all of your thoughts and speculations! And normally I don't do this in an A/N, but since it was a guest review I can't very well reply via PM, so this is addressed to Guest 1:**

 **I can totally see why Cassie forgiving everyone so fast when they didn't forgive her so easily can be cause for some annoyance, both on Cassie's part and her friends'. I'm actually really glad you brought this point up, however, as it is going to be an area of contention in the story in terms of Cassie's character development. She is used to being frowned upon or glanced over, and with the girls being pretty much her only friends at Hogwarts (including her brother before he graduated and you know, became a Death Eater), it's easy for her to feel like she needs to please them more so than anybody. The Marauders are foreign territory to her, and so she doesn't quite know how to hold her own against them yet, but again, all part of character growth, and the way she handles future strains and her relationships will slowly change over the course of the story.**

 **I agree wholeheartedly that she should have been more mad (after all, she had the right to be, and if I were in her shoes, I would be), but where Cassie is as a character right now didn't suit it at all for me. She doesn't hold grudges, and she is quick to forgive, and yeah, it comes off as people walking over her, but it's just the way she has learned to live with her family and her few close friends over the years. As she matures and comes to realize certain things, however, this attitude will definitely begin to change.**

 **Hope that cleared things up a bit for you, and thank you kindly for your review, as always xx**

 **And now on to the story!**

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: The Deal

The hand held firm over her mouth despite her muffled shouts and flailing limbs, and the cloth wrapped tightly over her eyes obscured her view completely, rendering her helpless as she was pushed along by multiple pairs of hands.

When she wasn't struggling, she could hear only the footsteps of the people holding on to her, and the sudden narrowness and cramped feeling she got told her that she was traveling through secret passageways, out of sight of the other students and staff as she was taken…somewhere.

The cloth was ripped free of her eyes and she was shoved onto a cold stone floor, and she heard the distinct snap of a door behind her as she whirled around, preparing to scream before a voice said, _"Silencio."_

Cassie opened her mouth, but no sound came out, and she looked up to see three girls standing over her, the center one lowering her wand and smirking as she gaped soundlessly. She recognized her to be Peggy Sloane, the horrible girl from her Defense class, who had laughed with the other Slytherins after Mulciber had given her that note. The other two she vaguely recalled, and though she couldn't remember their names, their ugly sneers and cold glares pointed her in the direction of Slytherin, as well.

"Look at her face," Sloane snickered, her own bulldog-like face lit up in amusement. "It looks like she's trying to comprehend her own stupidity."

Cassie wanted to point out that that made no sense at all, but her vocal chords were completely useless as she still kneeled on the floor of what appeared to be an empty bathroom, attempting to glare at the Slytherins despite her very unintimidating aura.

Sloane raised her wand again. "Now Alderfair, if I lift the spell, are you gonna scream?"

Very slowly, she shook her head, and Sloane gave her a smug smile before muttering the counter-curse. The other two tensed, as if expecting her to cry out, but she remained silent, getting back to her feet and saying nothing, only meeting Sloane's beady eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked, and she was surprised to hear her voice come out so even despite her racing heart and sweaty palms.

"We just got a few questions for you, Gryffindor, no big deal," Sloane said, shrugging slightly, and Cassie eyed her warily. "About what?"

"Your brother." Cassie froze at this, and Sloane noticed the motion like a shark sniffing blood in the water.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said as firmly as she could. "I haven't spoken to him in months."

"Word travels," Sloane said, and Cassie swallowed nervously at the grin on the girl's face. "See, us Slytherins look out for each other, and when your brother decided to jump down into the snake pit with the rest of us, we started keeping tabs on him, too, so cut the shite, Alderfair. We know about the Hogsmeade visit."

Cassie felt the blood drain from her face – if they knew about her meeting with Will, then did they know about the locket too?

"What of it?" she said with a slight waver to her voice, and the girls all exchanged a meaningful look.

"He gave you something, a birthday present." Sloane sneered at her. "What was it?"

"A stupid bracelet, completely worthless," she lied immediately. "I threw it in the bin as soon as I got back."

The three exchanged another look, and she could tell that they weren't entirely convinced, and her mind hurried to think of something else.

"Why are you interested, anyway?" she asked. "Did Carlisle put you up to this?"

One of the girls' eyes widened, and she turned to Sloane fearfully. "She knows about Carlisle—"

"Shut up, Emma!" Sloane hissed, but Cassie could feel a grin spreading across her face.

"What's Carlisle's game, eh?" she said. "What does she want with me and my brother?"

"Nothing," Sloane snapped, but Cassie wasn't done.

"And what about the Founders, huh? Why is she so interested in them, and the Forbidden Forest—?"

She stopped, hand automatically reaching for her pocket when suddenly three wands were aimed at her, Sloane glaring with the intensity of a rabid dog.

"This conversation never happened," she said slowly, aiming the tip of her wand directly at Cassie's forehead. "Your day was entirely normal, Alderfair, and you won't remember any of this. _Oblivi—_ ARGH!"

Cassie stared, dumbfounded, as jets of water suddenly shot from the row of toilets behind her and doused the three Slytherins in dull grey water that smelled strongly of sewage. After gargling and slipping in the water barrage for a few seconds, the three girls turned and fled the bathroom, coughing and gagging the whole way.

She was left alone in the bathroom, and she watched as the water flowed back into the toilets, leaving the floor soaking, yet she was standing in the only dry spot in the room. She looked from the door to the now-peaceful toilets, shocked, and she jumped when a voice behind her said, "I never liked bullies."

She turned to see a pearly translucent ghost of a girl about her age floating a few feet above the wet floor, her eyes glaring behind very large glasses at the door the Slytherins had just run through. Her eyes switched back to Cassie, who closed her mouth quickly and averted her gaze, not wanting to upset the temperamental ghost of Moaning Myrtle.

"Er, thanks," she said hastily, hoping the girl wouldn't throw a tantrum and flood her out of the bathroom, as she was prone to do.

Myrtle did not reply, instead drifting over to a mirror and fiddling with her transparent pigtails. Cassie figured she must be in the faulty girls' lavatory on the second floor, the one Myrtle must frequent and the one no girl dared to use for fear of upsetting the ghost, and after clearing her throat, she started for the door, grudgingly stopping when Myrtle spoke up from behind her.

"You look like someone I've seen before," she said, and Cassie gave the ghost a blank look as she gazed at her with her eerily large eyes.

"Er, well, I've been going to this school for a few years now," she said haltingly. "And my brother went here too; people say we usually look alike. When they notice me beside him," she added in an undertone, but Myrtle either didn't hear the last part or ignored her.

"No, not like that," she said airily, waving a pale hand. "She was a woman – a ghost, actually. I only ever saw her the once, but you look a lot like her."

"That's nice," Cassie said quickly, suddenly extremely uncomfortable. "Have a nice day, Myrtle."

She slipped out the door before the ghost could creep her out further, and she began walking quickly back to the common room, looking over her shoulder multiple times to make sure those Slytherins weren't following her.

She remembered Regulus's words from last night, about how she had begun to interest several of his Housemates, and she couldn't help the shiver that rolled down her spine, making her hair stand on end as she realized that the Slytherin had been right.

She marched to the common room with new purpose; she had to find James and tell him what happened last night with Regulus and now today with the Slytherin girls, and she needed to know if he managed to get any information about Carlisle or Avery at the party.

She climbed through the portrait hole, immediately looking around to see if she could spot James before someone grabbed hold of her arm and dragged her off to the girls' staircases.

"Merlin, can everyone stop manhandling me today?" she complained, tugging her arm out of Lily's iron grasp and staring at her friend with raised brows. "Lily?"

The red-haired witch turned around with a sigh, crossing her arms and staring at Cassie seriously. "Wait, who else manhandled you today?" Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she scowled. "Did Black do something to you?"

"What? No, no." She shook her head, nearly forgetting about her conversation with Sirius that morning in her haste to find James. "Lily, what's up? I'm kind of in a rush right now, I have to find James—"

Lily's lips pursed at the mention of her arch-nemesis's name, but she didn't comment, which Cassie took to be one step forward in the right direction. She shook her head, dropping her hands and suddenly looking very conflicted. "Cassie, I-I just need some advice here."

She looked so desperate that Cassie found herself nodding, James temporarily shoved aside as Lily plopped into a plush armchair by the window, Cassie following suit and gazing at her friend imploringly. "What's wrong, Lils?"

"I just…" She gestured vaguely to Cassie, frowning. "How are you not upset over Marlene and Black? Both of them hid it from you, and even though I'm not friends with Black, _I_ was still mad that Mar hadn't told me sooner."

Cassie paused, unsure of what to say. She _had_ been mad when she had found out, and the notion that they had kept it from her still nettled her a bit, but Lily was right. Why was she not angrier?

"I dunno," she said slowly, looking back to Lily apologetically. "After everything else, I just can't find it in myself to be upset, y'know? With Will, and my parents, and all the things that are happening in the news… I just can't be angry at them. If they have a chance of being decently happy in each other's company, then who am I to judge and take that away from them when everything else in the world is so messed up?"

Lily stared at her for a long while, not saying anything, and Cassie shifted uncomfortably, wondering if she had upset the other girl. Finally, she sighed and dropped her hands into her lap, shaking her head.

"Well, Merlin, Cassie," she said. "When you put it like that…" She shook her head again. "I'm a prat, I know. I don't know why I act like this whenever those… _Marauders_ are involved. It just makes everybody else upset."

Cassie shrugged. "They've been giving you hell since first year. You have a right to dislike them." She suddenly eyed Lily firmly. "That doesn't mean you should expect everyone to dislike them, though."

Lily flushed slightly. "I know that! Look, I'm trying, all right? Just don't expect me to start skipping down the corridors with them hand-in-hand."

Cassie snorted at the image that provided. "Of course not. Now, are you okay?"

Lily nodded slowly. "I think so."

Cassie reached over and patted the other girl's knee. "Thanks, Lils. For understanding."

"You're welcome." Lily gave her a warm smile before gesturing to the staircases. "Potter's in his dormitory. I don't know where that is—"

"Don't worry, I do." Cassie shot her a mischievous smile before waving and bounding up the stairs, nearly out of breath by the time she reached their door and rapped on it smartly.

She could hear shuffles from the other side of the door before it opened, revealing Peter standing there and looking out in suspicion before he recognized her.

"Oh, it's just Cassie," he said, stepping back and allowing her entrance, and she gave him an affronted look as she walked in.

"Don't sound so enthused next time, Pete," she said drily, looking around and only seeing Remus sitting atop his bed reading a book. "Where's James?"

"Shower," Peter grunted, flinging himself down on his own mattress and putting his arms behind his head.

Cassie sighed before nudging Remus with her hand. "Budge over."

He barely looked up at her as he kept reading, though he shifted to make just enough room for her to plop down, lying on her back and staring up at the red canopy above them as her hair splayed across the pillow.

Remus spluttered, and she could feel him swatting aside her hair as he grumbled, "Why is there so much of it?"

"It grows, Remus," she pointed out, rolling her eyes, and he huffed.

"Sensible people cut their hair before it gets this long," he said, and she shrugged, stifling a yawn.

"I do cut it; it just grows fast," she said, and she snickered when he flung some of her locks over her face.

"Well, keep it on your side of the bed," he retorted, going back to his book, and Peter snorted from the other side of the room.

"Aw, are you two having your first domestic?" he asked sympathetically, sitting up and batting his eyes at them, and Cassie grabbed her shoe from the floor and threw it at him.

It went wide, smacking into the wall beside him, and Peter chortled as he said, "Now I know why you don't play Quidditch."

"Oh, shove off, Peter," she said, though she couldn't help but laugh as the mousy boy got up from his bed and padded over to them.

"Nah, I'm good," he said, before throwing himself on top of them as they moaned and struggled beneath him.

"Can't…breathe…" Remus panted, shoving the boy off his chest and onto Cassie.

"I think you're crushing my reproductive system," she gasped as his elbow dug into her pelvic bone, and the two boys immediately let out disgusted noises as Peter scrambled off of her and onto the floor.

"Cassie, that's gross," he complained as he sat up, brushing off his sweater and glaring at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's natural, idiot. Get used to it."

"Wait, why are you in my bed when there's two other empty ones in this room?" Remus said, finally looking up from his book and staring at her. "Go lay in Sirius's bed or something."

"You do _not_ want to do that!" Peter looked panicked as he held out his arms, as if to prevent her from moving.

"So she may find some dirty knickers, so what?" Remus snorted, and Peter gave him a deadly serious look.

"Moony, have you ever stopped and wondered why some nights he casts a Silencing Charm around his bed?"

Cassie and Remus looked to each other, and they both seemed to realize the meaning behind Peter's words at the same time as their eyes widened. Remus groaned, covering his face with his book, and Cassie pretended to vomit over the edge of Remus's bed, though her stomach was genuinely cramping from laughing so hard as Peter rolled on the floor, giggling like mad.

"You could not pay me enough Galleons in the world to climb into a bed where Sirius Black jerks it," Cassie wheezed, and this sent Peter into a new round of giggles as Remus howled with laughter.

"No wonder why he has all those…Muggle magazines," Peter said, his voice squeakier than normal.

"You think he gets off on those girls?" Remus said incredulously. "Try those motorbikes they always pose on top of."

Peter had entered a realm of soundless laughter. "'I'd stick my shaft up your pipe, baby.'" He choked out in a terrible impression of Sirius's husky voice, and Cassie shrieked with mirth as Remus held his stomach beside her, the mattress nearly vibrating with the force of their laughter.

"What in Godric Gryffindor's sacred name is going on out here?"

James had appeared in the doorway of the washroom, wrapped in a towel and his hair sticking every which way as steam curled from behind him, and he was staring at the three as if they had come from some alien planet.

The three quieted down at his appearance, but as soon as they exchanged a glance they were laughing again as James looked on in bemusement.

Shaking his head so water droplets sprinkled the floor, he walked over to his bed and gestured to Remus. "Moony, the princess."

Still chuckling, Remus grabbed the pillow from behind them and placed it over her face, holding it firm as Cassie tried to quiet down, discreetly drying the tears that had leaked from her eyes on the pillowcase as James dressed. A few minutes later he removed the pillow, and she saw James already looking at her expectantly from his bed where he was rubbing his hair with his towel.

Understanding the silent message, she got up from Remus's bed and started over to the fully clothed James, ignoring Remus's sly comments about having a bed to himself again.

James wiped his glasses clean on his shirt before putting them on again, and he jerked his chin at her. "Fancy a trip to the kitchens?"

"You know I'm always up for food," she said, and he shot her a smirk as they departed the dormitory, leaving Remus reading his book and Peter attempting to talk to him, still on the floor.

"They did _what?"_ James exclaimed a half hour later, abandoning his pudding and staring at Cassie with a mixture of incredulity and anger. She had just finished relaying her story to him, beginning from Regulus's cryptic warning at the party the night before and ending it with the revenge of Moaning Myrtle after the Slytherin girls had cornered her in the bathroom. She left out the part about her conversation with the ghost, however; Myrtle never really seemed to have all her marbles together, even in the afterlife, and she was sure it meant nothing.

James furiously spooned more pudding into his mouth and swallowed it with a loud gulp, a scowl set deep in his face. "This is open warfare now. They attacked one of our own—"

"Oh, will you stop acting like one of those Muggle army-leading-blokes?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"I believe the term you are looking for is a commander, or perhaps a general," he said wryly, causing her to make a face at him. "And I'm serious, Cassie—"

"No you're not, you're James."

He threw his hands up in dramatic exasperation as she snickered, knowing the other boys would have been proud of her for that one.

"Will you stop joking around? This is seri—" He cut off when she looked on in expectation, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "This is important, Cassie, all right?"

"They're just bullies," she said, before frowning. "Bullies that seem to be working for Carlisle, but still."

James sighed, pushing his glasses back up his nose when they slipped down. "Look, you're the one that started this whole Carlisle theory, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think you're right – something is up. Something _big._ And if all these Slytherins are in on it, then it's starting to sound more and more dangerous. Like, Death Eater-level dangerous."

Cassie scoffed. "So, what? You think Carlisle is trying to recruit students as Death Eaters and is making them do stuff for her to prove their worth? Inside _Hogwarts?_ The literal safest place in the wizarding world?"

James looked at her with such solemnity she felt like the lemon cake she had been chewing turned to sand in her mouth. "This recruiting has been going on for a few years, Cassie. It's an inside job. How do you think your brother found out about it all?"

She swallowed the cake like it was a stone lodged in her throat. "Then what do we do about it?"

"Let's go to Dumbledore," he urged. "He'd know what to do. I bet he can get Carlisle sacked, too—"

"On what evidence?" she hissed, feeling the need to drop her voice as she leaned in, propping her elbows on the table. "We don't have anything on her except speculation."

"What about those maps and papers you found in her office?" he said. "We can use those as our proof."

She shook her head, suddenly uncertain. "There's no way we can get those papers legally. All of our credibility would be lost if he found out we had stolen them."

"Sometimes you have to do things the hard way," he pointed out, and she ran her tongue over her top teeth, thinking.

"What about the locket?" she asked. "Do we have to tell him about that?"

James looked at her oddly. "Do you not want to?"

She sighed, putting her head in her hands and shrugging. "I dunno. I just want my life to stop feeling like those mystery novels my mum always reads."

"With all the erotic sex scenes added or without?" He tossed her a cheeky grin when she looked up in disgust. "Hey, my mum reads them, too. And let's just say they are _not_ the type of novels to leave lying around the house with your bored ten year old son roaming about."

"Okay, I get it, bad analogy, whatever," she said, waving him off.

"Actually, I think you used a simile, but that's all right."

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"Sometimes I wish you would stop talking. Permanently."

"Funny, Evans says the same thing."

Cassie groaned and rested her head on the table. "Good Godric, you're exhausting."

"Now _that_ is something I hope I hear from her someday."

She mimed stabbing her fork into her throat as he laughed obnoxiously.

They sat in silence for a few moments as house-elfs whisked by and cleared away their bare dishes, and she swirled her finger along the patterns of the wood table, lost in thought until James spoke up again.

"Did you see they posted the next Hogsmeade date?" She shook her head as he nodded, ruffling his hair (she figured it was a subconscious movement at this point, as Lily wasn't even around to see it). "Scheduled for next weekend. The ninth."

Her brows rose. "That soon? Merlin, this month went by fast."

He gave her an impish grin. "Time flies when you're having fun."

Ignoring him, she scratched absentmindedly at her nose, thinking back to the deal she had struck with Sirius that morning and suddenly feeling very anxious as she realized that it all hinged on Bertram Aubrey asking her to go with him to the village.

She sighed, flopping her head on her arms and blowing a piece of hair out of her mouth. "I hate deals."

James gave her a pitying look, obviously already knowing what she was talking about. "Sirius Black is as devious as they come, too. Sorry to say, princess, but you're pretty screwed."

"Like I haven't figured that out already," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I finished the book though, which should be more than enough, but obviously little things don't satisfy him very well."

James opened his mouth, but she held up a hand. "And that's the last innuendo I'm making today, so you can stop right there."

He looked disappointed, but he merely shrugged. "Suit yourself."

There was another silence, until she asked, "Did you know? About Sirius and Marlene?"

"Hadn't the foggiest until he told me yesterday at practice about what happened," he said, and this made her frown.

"And did it bother you?" she pressed. "Him not telling you until someone else found them out?"

He cocked his head, studying her thoughtfully. "Sirius is his own person," he said evenly. "I'm his best mate, and even I still don't know full well how his brain works."

She frowned, not very satisfied with that answer, and he flicked her hair playfully. "Why? Does it bother _you?"_

She thought about regurgitating what her answer to Lily had been, but the more she pondered it, the more she realized she _was_ bothered by it.

"They're going to be terrible together," she admitted aloud. "He's a player, and she's a heartbreaker. They're going to ruin each other."

James whistled lowly, and she wondered if she had offended him by calling out his best mate until he said, "My thoughts exactly, princess."

They exchanged a look, and Cassie grimaced. "This is going to be a long year, isn't it?"

James gazed at her sympathetically. "Oh, princess, you don't know the half of it."

* * *

The girl was getting farther away.

She ran through trees splattered with the colors of fall, skirts hefted, shoes missing, and her dark hair streamed behind her like a banner, a declaration of defiance against the brightness of the leaves swirling around her.

A man chased her, but as Cassie watched from the peripheral, the two were laughing, mirth coloring their cheeks and brightening their eyes as they raced on. They were blurs, fading in and out of focus as she attempted to follow them, but it was like she was trapped on the other side of a frosted window. Their faces were indistinct, but she had the vague feeling she ought to know who they were.

Finally, the girl stopped, leaning back against the trunk of a wide oak, though all Cassie could see of her was her green dress and dark hair. The man slowed to a halt beside her, his scarlet robes blending spectacularly with the scenery, and his golden hair was disheveled from the chase, giving him the appearance of a lion almost.

"I wish I could do this forever," the girl said, and her voice was eerily familiar. "Run, and never have to worry about how far I'm going, or when I have to turn back. Just run and run and run."

"You can be free, my love," the man said, coming before the girl and wrapping his hands around her shoulders comfortingly. "Marry me, and all of this can be yours. Forever."

Cassie saw her shoulders slump a bit, as if in resign. "You know I cannot."

The man looked pained, looking down, and Cassie recognized enough to know he had heard her say this before.

"At least take this." He extracted something from a pocket within his robes, and Cassie strained to see it as he held it out to the girl. "It is enchanted. Only you can open it, and when you are alone, I hope you think of me when it plays."

Realization and a sudden dread gripped Cassie, and her eyes focused in on the gift the man was giving her: a silver locket, circular, with a single red ruby wrought into the middle of it. _Her_ locket. The clockwork locket.

She could hear the love and longing in the girl's voice as she whispered, "We have a deal, then."

The man bent his head, their lips meeting, before Cassie jerked awake, her eyes snapping open. She lay in her bed, tucked away in her dormitory as the sounds of the other sleeping girls drifted to her ears. Faint moonlight filtered in through the window, and she rolled onto her side, her eyes drawn inexorably to her bedside table.

She stared at the topmost drawer for a long while, and when her skin suddenly became too itchy, she swung her legs out of bed and knelt down before it, sliding open the drawer as silently as she could and rifling through it until her fingers touched on a cool metal chain.

She pulled the locket out and held it in her palm, feeling the faint whirs of the gears inside it against her heated skin before she finally let out a long breath in defeat.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" she asked it miserably. Luckily it didn't answer her, but she imagined the gears turning a little faster, as if in excitement.

"Fine," she grumbled, before clasping it around her neck and letting the pendant settle against her chest, molding to her skin as if it were made to be there.

Shaking off the absurdity of the thought, she climbed back into bed, settling herself in to sleep again, and hopefully this time without any weird dreams about forbidden lovers and her locket.

Her eyes slipped closed, and before she sank into oblivion once more, she imagined she felt a slight stirring against her chest, as if a second heartbeat were linking itself to her own.

* * *

 **Please review! All of you are such wonderful readers and continue to motivate me daily!**

 **And the layers keep wrapping themselves around that locket...**

 **Next Chapter: _The Challenge_**

 **xx**


	18. The Challenge

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **The fact that there is an entire scene dedicated to a foot being licked should be enough of an indication as to what this chapter is like. I honestly don't know, either.**

 **And WOW! Over 200 follows already? And we're not even on chapter 20?! Y'all are truly the best, thank you so much!**

 **And of course, thanks for all the faves/follows, and thank you especially to my reviewers from last time: treesliketorches, Raven that flies at night, heroherondaletotherescue, ollietrombone, lizy2000, Les Spring Hamilton, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

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Chapter Eighteen: The Challenge

Winter had Hogwarts clutched firmly in its jaws now; the late autumn weather that had been struggling to stay had finally been quashed, and every morning leading up to the holidays was seen laden with snow and burdened by chilly grey clouds. The arrival of the holidays also brought upon the students a sense of wariness, as it was not uncommon for someone to be pelted with enchanted snowballs by people from other Houses whilst walking across the grounds, and Peeves had taken it upon himself to knock loose icicles from the bannisters outside in an attempt to impale any who hadn't the sense to watch out for the poltergeist.

In the week leading up to the last Hogsmeade trip before the holidays, an eerie hush had fallen over the castle, the kind of stifling silence only observed during the time of exams while all years had to take their midterm tests. House common rooms became refuges for students unable to snag a seat in the overcrowded library, which forced many other students to seek out random spots around the castle to host their games of Exploding Snap or to simply escape the confines of studying, as James, Sirius, and Peter had taken to doing, which unfortunately meant that Remus and Cassie were to be dragged along, as well.

A small explosion that nearly singed off her eyebrows made Cassie look up from her Herbology notes with a scowl, seeing Peter doing some sort of victory jig as he collected quite a few Knuts from both Sirius and James, whose faces were covered in a fine layer of soot and most of the hair on their forearms was smoking.

"All right, I'm going back to the common room," she announced, stuffing her notes back into her bag and nudging Remus's knee with her foot. "You coming?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he said, sliding his thumb in the place he had left off in his Ancient Runes book before closing it and accepting her proffered hand to be helped up.

"Nerds," James jeered when they made to walk out of the secret passageway they had been holed up in on the third floor, hidden behind a tapestry of thirteen witches dancing around a sacrificial fire. The Marauders had proudly told her that they had found it their first year, and she had only shaken her head, not even going to bother asking how they had managed that.

"Sorry that I'd rather pass my exams than continue to watch Peter rob you of all your money," she retorted, and Peter snickered, shooting her a thumbs-up as James rolled his eyes.

"We only have one more exam tomorrow," he pointed out. "Then the day after that is Hogsmeade, baby!"

"Yes, only one more exam that I have to pass still," she sniffed. "My parents would ground me until graduation if I got anything lower than an A." She frowned then. "Not that I've ever really gotten a lot of O's before, or even E's…"

"I say blow the whole thing off, just to knot their knickers," Sirius said, leaning back against the wall and stretching his legs out before him. "Then they'll have zero expectations the next time you do anything stupid."

"That sounds like a lovely idea, if only I had a death wish," she deadpanned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to finish looking over these Herbology notes."

She marched out from behind the tapestry with Remus in tow, feeling slightly abashed at her shortness. The past two weeks had been very strange in terms of her friendship with Sirius, and it wasn't sitting well with her at all. He and Marlene had gone public with their "dating" (a loosely applied term, in their case), and ever since then she had barely gotten a chance to talk to him beyond the occasional greeting, for it seemed Marlene was always glued to his side.

The blond witch had been ecstatic when she had announced she and Sirius were official, and for the past two weeks it seemed that all she ever did was talk about the handsome Marauder. She had even taken to sitting with the boys at meals now, coaxing the other girls into joining even though she always seemed to pay more attention to her boyfriend than them.

Cassie didn't really mind the seating arrangement, as she had been sitting with them for weeks already, but she could tell Lily was quite uncomfortable, as James seemed incapable of not acting like a git in front of her, and Alice wasn't quite happy about it either, as she always cast longing looks back down the table to where Frank Longbottom usually sat. The only thing she did mind was always seeing Marlene and Sirius showing some disgusting display of affection right across from her, whether they would be feeding each other food or just simply snogging for everyone to see, and there had been more than one occasion when she had lost her appetite after seeing some tongue thrown in, as well.

And when the two weren't snogging at the table, or in the common room, or in the corridors between classes, they were mysteriously absent on some nights, and Cassie would hear Marlene stumble into the dormitory at odd hours of the morning, and she shuddered as unbidden images of that horrible night flooded her brain once more, only being able to imagine the kind of stuff they would be doing now that they were an item.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Remus bumped his elbow against her own, and she looked up to see him gazing down at her, half-smiling, but with a touch of concern in his green gaze. "Hey, you all right?"

She gave him a small smile of her own, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder. "Yeah, good. Why?"

"Dunno, you're just really quiet today," he said, shrugging. "Usually you're rambling on about some weird thing at this point."

She gasped, mock offended. "That hurts, Remus."

He chuckled, and they walked along amiably for a few more moments before he spoke again. "Y'know, come to think of it…you've been quiet a lot recently. Are you sure nothing's the matter?"

She sighed, her hand reaching up subconsciously to rub at the chain around her neck, not even realizing Remus's eyes had followed the movement until he grabbed her hand in alarm, startling her.

"Cassie," he said very seriously, his eyes fixed on the chain, "please don't tell me that that is what I think it is."

She blinked, suddenly nervous as she tugged on the chain and brought the locket out from under her shirt, watching Remus look from it to her rapidly, his pupils dilating.

"That's the locket," he said, quite unnecessarily. "Cassie, can I please ask you why you are wearing the locket your _Death Eater brother_ gave to you?"

"It's not cursed or anything," she said hastily, stowing it back away after she noticed how white his face had gone, and he shook his head.

"You don't know that," he said, meeting her eyes gravely. "Magic is powerful, Cassie, and sometimes the greatest powers are the ones that can't be seen or felt physically."

"Look, I can't explain it, okay?" she said, shaking her head. "But something is telling me that I should wear it. I _need_ to have it on me at all times. It's just this…gut feeling, like something could go horribly wrong if I don't."

Remus looked quite panicked at her admission. "Cassie, this is vitally important. When did you start feeling like you needed to wear it?"

"I…dunno," she said haltingly, suddenly not wanting to tell him about her dream, about the lovers and the locket. She would probably sound crazy. "I just wanted to."

He ran his hands through his hair, and his scars were showing very stark against his skin as he released a heavy breath, muttering to himself, "Could be some form of the Imperius Curse…"

"Will isn't out to kill me, or whatever else you lot think he's doing," she said, her temper rising. "He's my brother. He wouldn't hurt me."

Remus gazed at her for a long while, not saying anything, and she placed her forehead on the window they had stopped at, the cold glass numbing her skin. "I have to believe that," she said, and her voice came out in a small whisper. "I have to believe that he still cares, deep down."

She shut her eyes tightly, struggling to fight off the tears as Remus heaved a large sigh in front of her.

"Cassie, you know I just want you to be safe," he said, and she opened her eyes, seeing him looking at her with such tender concern she felt her heart swell.

"I know," she said, before reaching out and wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened, as if startled by the contact, before his own hands came to rest on her back, and he gave a little rub between her shoulder blades that seemed to take weeks of strain off of her at the gesture.

"Cassie, Remus! Hey!"

They broke apart to see Marlene striding towards them, her blond hair pulled into a high ponytail that swung like a pendulum as she walked, and she waved to the two as she neared, smiling brightly.

"Hey, Mar," Cassie said, and Remus nodded to her, saying, "Hi, Marlene."

"Have you two seen Sirius?" she asked, cutting right to the point, and Cassie was about to point out the direction of the passageway they had just come from before Remus elbowed her sharply in the ribs.

"Nope, can't say we have," he said casually, while Cassie began fake coughing to hide the grunt of pain she had released at his jab. "Have you tried the library?"

Marlene frowned, looking puzzled. "No, I haven't looked there yet," she said. "I didn't think he'd be the studying type."

"Are you kidding? That boy is one of the hardest workers I have ever seen," Remus said, his eyes wide, and Cassie watched in confusion while Marlene just smiled, bemused. "Dunno how he's not top of the class, really."

"Okay…" Marlene said slowly. "Er, I'm going to try the library now. See you two later!"

She sashayed around the corner, and as soon as she was out of earshot Remus began to snigger heartily, causing Cassie to punch him in the shoulder, hard.

"Ow, Cassie, hey! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm, and she glared at him icily.

"I could ask you the same thing," she said, arching a brow. "That was rude what you just did to her!"

"Only the Marauders know about that passageway, and I know Sirius would want it to stay that way," he said. "Sheesh, you have a really solid arm, y'know that?"

"That's one of the lamest excuses I have ever heard," she said, ignoring his comment. "And I'm not a Marauder; how come I'm allowed to know where it is?"

"Because you're as good as," he said, rolling up his sleeve to check for damage and luckily not noticing the blush of surprise and pleasure that had flared across her cheeks. "Seriously, I think I'm gonna have a bruise now."

"And I'll give you a matching one on your other arm if you don't tell me the truth about why you just lied to my friend," she said, raising a fist threateningly, and his eyes flickered to her knuckles before going back to hers.

"Sirius is just…a little tired of her at the moment," he admitted reluctantly, and Cassie's eyes widened.

"They've been dating for two weeks!" she exclaimed. "How can he be tired of her already?"

They shared a look, and at the same time they both said, "Player."

Cassie sighed, shaking her head. "This is bad. Really, really bad."

"She's attached, isn't she?" he asked, and he winced when she nodded. "Yikes."

"She was talking about buying them promise rings for Christmas," she said, making a face. "I'm not that surprised, though; she's like this with every guy she dates."

"Yeah, she cornered me the other day and asked me what I thought he'd like for a present," he said, grimacing. "It was rather frightening."

Cassie snorted. "What'd you tell her?"

"I told her to buy him a pet rock. Y'know, something permanent that would always be there to support him."

She laughed at this and he grinned, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "We should really get back and study."

"Agreed."

They walked back to the common room, chattering on about the Hogsmeade trip, but Cassie couldn't help her fingers straying back to the chain of the locket, a seedling of doubt taking root in her gut as she wondered if Remus was right in believing that her brother had done something wrong to it.

* * *

Despite being nearly sucked into a mass of writhing venomous tentacula vines, the Herbology exam went off without a hitch, which Cassie was relieved and quite proud of as the fifth years trudged out of the greenhouses, covered in dragon dung and sweat, with some nursing only minor wounds from several of the more violent plants.

"Ugh, I'm starving," Alice said, smoothing down the back of her head from when a screechsnap had flung dragon dung at her for watering it too much. "Can we please go eat?"

"I'll meet up with you there," Cassie said. "I'm going to go down and visit Little Leaf for a few minutes. I haven't seen him since last Tuesday."

Alice simply shrugged, already acclimated to her friend's strange bond with the woodland creature. "Suit yourself. I'll save you a seat."

Cassie waved before trekking down the path that led to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, past the gamekeeper's hut where she could see smoke curling from the chimney of the small home. She saw Professor Kettleburn hobbling around the patch of forest reserved for his Care of Magical Creatures classes while some younger students were finishing up their exam by trying to herd a group of diricawls into something that resembled a large chicken coop. This was proving to be extremely difficult, however, as the dodo-like birds kept vanishing and then reappearing several yards away, resulting in a mad chase around the pen between the creatures and the students.

She approached her meeting spot with Little Leaf, pulling out a bag of wood lice and giving it a nice shake, calling out the bowtruckle's name and waiting for him to appear. She sat down and waited when he didn't immediately show, huddling deep into her cloak to escape the chill, but after a few more minutes of waiting she began to get worried, wondering where he was.

"Little Leaf!" she tried calling again, but there was still no sign of the little tree-man. The wind whistled through the trees bordering the edge of the forest, the bare branches creaking in the breeze, and the hair on the back of her neck began to rise as she wondered what could have happened to the bowtruckle.

"I wouldn' be surprised if yer little friend moved on." A gruff voice said behind her, and she jumped, whirling around to see Hagrid looming over her, a few rabbits strung from his belt and a giant crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "'Moved on' as in…he's dead?"

"Nah, not dead," the giant man said, shaking his great hairy head. "I've been talkin' to some of the centaurs in there… they say there's a great migration or summat like that goin' on. All the creatures are movin' on, clearin' outta here and goin' in deeper."

Cassie frowned, her brows furrowed. "Why would they do that?"

Hagrid shrugged his huge shoulders, one of his rubbish bin lid-sized hands reaching up and scratching at his wild beard.

"Who knows? The forest is a strange place."

Cassie had to agree with that, but she couldn't help turning back and staring at the spot Little Leaf usually emerged from, feeling a sense of unease creep over her.

"Yer name's Alderfair, righ'?" Hagrid asked her, and she winced before turning to him and nodding. He studied her with beetle-black eyes, though the gaze wasn't lingering or scornful. He just seemed to be looking at her, a quiet gentleness to his eyes that put her at ease in his presence.

"Yeah, ol' Silvanus told me about yer bond with tha' bowtruckle," he said, gesturing his head toward where Professor Kettleburn was shouting at the students to do better at catching the vanishing birds. "Little Leaf, was it?"

She nodded, blowing out her cheeks as she sighed. "That's him," she said. "Or, was."

"Ah, well, I wouldn' be too let down by it," he said kindly. "Bowtruckles don' usually bond with humans all tha' well, anyway. It was probably his time to go."

"You're probably right," she admitted, biting her lip and scooping back up the wood lice bag from the ground. "Thanks, Hagrid."

"No need ter thank me, missy," he said, waving her off. "Jus' keep doin' well in class, ya hear? Silvanus raves about yer grades and yer interest in the subject. He might offer ye a job outta school if ye pass all his N.E.W.T courses."

Cassie looked up in astonishment. "You mean…Professor Kettleburn _likes_ me?"

Hagrid snorted. "Starkers, more like. But yer a bright witch; I think you could do anything ye wanted to if you tried hard enough."

"Th-thank you," she stammered, stunned at the praise he was giving her. "And, er, please call me Cassie. For future reference."

She could see his smile behind his bushy beard. "Cassie. Pretty name. Well, I'd best be off if I wanna have supper anytime soon." He gestured to the rabbits on his belt before lumbering away, giving her a last wave. "You take care, Cassie, ya hear?"

After assuring the groundskeeper that she would, she started back up to the castle just as Professor Kettleburn released his students from their exam, the diricawls apparently having all been finally round up, and the younger kids began to troop back to the castle, sweaty and exhausted.

She had just begun to start up the stone steps that twisted their way back to the castle doors when she felt someone slip into a space nearby on her right; not close enough to be considered a walking companion, but near enough for the person to speak out of the corner of their mouth to her.

"Evening, Gryffindor," Regulus Black greeted her, and though she could feel his grey eyes slide to her, she stared resolutely ahead, quickening her pace without responding.

She heard him let out a small chuckle at her reaction. "Heard about what happened with Sloane and her cronies. At least you have Moaning Myrtle on your side in case anyone tries something again."

"Piss off, Black," she hissed, walking still quicker, though the boy seemed to keep even pace with her despite never once breaking his stride.

"Hm. You seem to have a lot of practice saying that. How fares my brother, anyhow?"

"Ask his girlfriend," she shot back, before biting her tongue when she realized how petty she sounded, something Regulus hadn't missed.

"Ah, a jealous Gryffindor," he mused. "'Hell hath no fury like a scorned lion.' Or, in this case, a lioness."

"It's a wonder you two don't get along more," she said, rolling her eyes. "You're both the most insufferable gits I have ever met."

"Don't _ever_ compare me to him!" Regulus snapped, and Cassie cast him a sidelong glance, seeing that she had struck a nerve within the younger boy as she noticed his tight jaw and clenched fists.

"Sorry," she said without really meaning it. He seemed to calm down, however, his demeanor becoming icy and arrogant once more.

They reached the front doors of the castle and entered, but before Cassie continued into the Great Hall, she heard Regulus whisper in her ear, "Remember what I said at Slughorn's party."

She shivered at his sudden proximity, but he was already moving away, twisting between the bodies of students going to dinner before disappearing down into the dungeons toward his common room, leaving her standing alone and feeling quite cold.

Her attention was captured by a voice calling her name, and she turned to see Sirius bounding down the marble staircase toward her, a grin lighting up his face and his dark hair flopping with each step, and she felt an odd twist in her gut as he approached.

"Hey, Sirius," she said when he had pushed his way over to her, but instead of responding he instead let out a loud bark of laughter, slinging his arm around her shoulders as if she had just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Oh, Cassie, you're so inappropriate, it's hilarious!" he said, loudly enough to where everyone in their vicinity cast them odd looks, and she felt her face flush.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked between gritted teeth, but he only laughed louder, clutching his stomach.

"I can't believe you actually _ate_ a snargaluff pod!" he shouted, and she saw people looking to her judgmentally, beginning to murmur behind their hands. "Truly disgusting!"

"Sirius—" she growled, stopping when she caught the steely glint in his eye as he gazed at someone amongst the crowd.

Her eyes landed on Bertram Aubrey, who had halted a few steps away, his green eyes darting back and forth between her crimson face and Sirius's smug one before he glanced at his arm around her, his cheeks coloring a faint pink hue as Sirius waggled his brows at him.

Without even acknowledging her presence, Aubrey turned and walked away, hurrying into the Great Hall as she shoved Sirius away from her, suddenly furious.

"You absolute _arse,_ Sirius Black!" she yelled. "You _knew_ Aubrey was going to ask me to Hogsmeade tonight! You just ruined _everything!"_

"Sorry, princess, but I play dirty," he said, grinning at her smugly and completely oblivious to her anger and mortification. "Looks like I'm going to be winning that deal."

"You are _such_ a prat," she said, not even caring how many people had stopped to stare at them. "Congratulations on cheating, Black. You're the bloody winner." Her every word dripped with sarcasm, but he didn't seem to notice, only shrugging.

"Oh, c'mon, Alderfair, like you would've said yes to him, anyway," he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and giving her his signature smirk.

"With the way you're acting right now, I would choose him over you any day," she retorted, and that wiped the grin off his face as he stared at her, his mouth opening slightly.

"Cassie—" he started to say, but she shook her head.

"Go away, Sirius," she muttered, before turning on her heel and storming into the Great Hall. She bypassed the Marauders and the girls, where Marlene had dragged them to sit so she could eat with Sirius again, seating herself in a spot next to some first years that looked to her fearfully as she took an angry bite out of a dinner roll, her stomach roiling too much for anything else.

She had never felt as humiliated as she did within that moment. Despite Aubrey asking her out being the foundation of their challenge, the more she had mulled it over, a tiny part of her had _wanted_ to go to Hogsmeade with him. He was a good-looking bloke, and quite funny and easygoing, but now Sirius had ruined her chance of ever getting asked out by him all for the sake of _winning._ Her first chance of going on an actual date had just backfired tremendously, though she would never admit that fact to him. He would lord it over her forever if he found out she had never been asked to Hogsmeade before, and the thought quickly made her lose her appetite as she set down the roll, trying to keep the tears at bay.

She barely registered when two bodies slid in on either side of her, and she kept her head down, even when she felt Alice smooth her hair away from her face and Lily take her hand in her own.

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked, and Cassie shook her head.

"Not yet," she said, and that was all they needed before they began to eat beside her, coaxing her into drinking some pumpkin juice and swallowing down a couple more rolls.

She never looked once to where the Marauders were sitting, not being able to bear seeing Sirius snogging Marlene again, as if he hadn't just done anything to her. She didn't look to the Ravenclaw table either, even though she felt more than one pair of eyes boring into the back of her head all night, before she finally decided to retire to bed.

As she had been leaving the Great Hall, she thought she heard someone say her name softly, but she marched resolutely forward, trying to pretend as if her heart hadn't lifted slightly in hope at the tiny sound.

* * *

Snow was falling heavily the next morning as the girls prepared for Hogsmeade, stuffing themselves into layers of clothes and scarves before daring to set foot outside of the castle.

Cassie dressed in silence, her anger from the night before still clinging to her like an annoying bramble she couldn't shake, though luckily the other girls seemed to sense her mood and didn't try too hard to include her in their conversations. She had told them about what Sirius had done to her, and they had all been shocked and a little mad, even Marlene threatening to talk some sense into him that day about his practical joke, but she had a hard time believing it.

"Cass, you ready?" Alice said from the doorway, and she nodded, getting up from where she had been putting her boots on and following the other girls into the common room before they set off for the Entrance Hall.

Cassie walked along at Alice's shoulder, keeping her head down and her hands shoved deep into her pockets. Hogsmeade trips had always been a source of fun and excitement for her, but now she just felt tired and drained, as if Sirius's sabotage had sucked everything right out of her. She had gone straight to bed after dinner, so she hadn't seen him at all since the night before, but she didn't really consider it a loss as she trudged after the girls.

They reached the marble staircase, but Cassie stopped dead when she lifted her head and saw Bertram Aubrey approaching from the direction of Ravenclaw Tower, he too coming to an abrupt halt when he saw her.

She felt her face flare with mortification, and after a few tense moments, he gave her a jerky nod before practically running down the steps, a few of his friends in tow, and they cast her scornful looks as they passed, making her face heat more.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be sleeping for the next century," she said, turning back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower and silently groaning when she felt hands grabbing onto the back of her coat.

"Oh, no, you don't," Alice said sharply, yanking her back around and putting a secure arm around her shoulders. "You're going to hang out with us girls today, and you're not going to worry about any boys, because all of them are daft dolts anyway. Got it?"

Cassie grumbled indistinctly as she was dragged down the staircase, still pinned beneath Alice's arm even after they got their names checked off by Filch and began to head down the path to the gates.

They were only a few steps down the road to the village when they heard shouts behind them, and they turned to see the Marauders trekking toward them, laughing and pushing each other around like idiots, and Cassie rolled her eyes, though her gaze never once strayed to Sirius.

"Babe!" Marlene said happily, bouncing up to the blur in her peripheral that was Sirius and not hesitating to envelop him in a long, passionate kiss.

James mimed throwing up behind them, which caused everyone to snicker; even Lily cracked a small grin, and James straightened up immediately upon this realization, giving her a brilliant smile that she did not return, only turning away and joining Cassie and Alice again.

"Let's leave them to it, shall we?" she said, and the other two nodded, starting back down the road before more footsteps caught up to them.

"If I ever get a girlfriend and we start snogging instead of talking to each other, will one of you please punch me in the face?" Peter asked seriously, and Cassie and Remus both raised their hands.

"I volunteer myself for when that day comes," she said, and Remus nodded in agreement. "I second that."

"D'you think they'd notice if I put a Lip-Locking Charm on them?" James mused, twirling his wand, and they all shook their heads.

Lily looked to the bespectacled boy warily. "You know how to do a Lip-Locking Charm?"

James seemed startled by the fact that she was speaking directly to him without an insult or yelling, and he nodded slowly. "Er, yeah. Learned it in third year."

Lily's face twitched, and Cassie could tell she was trying hard to not look impressed. "Oh. Interesting."

James stared at her, slack-jawed, before Remus took pity on him and began to ask about Quidditch practice to distract him from looking like a freak as they enjoyed their walk to Hogsmeade, debating all the places they should go.

When they reached the village, the boys broke off to go to Spintwitches to look at Quidditch stuff, while Lily dragged Cassie and Alice to Tomes and Scrolls so she could buy more books.

The two girls found some shabby armchairs by the front door and promptly took seats, knowing how long Lily took in the bookshop as they watched witches and wizards of all kinds tramp in and out. They recognized a few of the Hogwarts students who came in, as well, and Alice waved to some of them while Cassie stared out at the rows of books on their shelves, thinking about _The Hobbit_ book she had just finished a few weeks ago.

The ending had almost made her cry, and she had been shocked to learn that Thorin hadn't made it out of the battle alive. She thought about how sad it was, for the dwarf to come so far to reclaim his kingdom, only to fail in the end, and she wondered if the author had intentionally done that, not only to warn of the trappings of greed, but also to provide an example of just how unfair life could be. Thinking about the book only led her thoughts back to Sirius, however, so she quickly engaged Alice in conversation, grateful for the distraction she provided as Lily came back over to them, carrying a large bag nearly stuffed to the brim with books.

They visited a few more shops they often frequented, each girl emerging from Honeydukes with a bag of sweets, and Alice dropping a fistful of Sickles on some very fancy quills from Scrivenshaft's. Cassie had had to be dragged away from Dominic Maestro's after she had found a small corner filled with Muggle records and threatened to sit there all day and listen to them, and she was still pouting by the time they reached the main street and bumped into Marlene walking alone.

"Oh, there you are!" she said brightly, her cheeks flushed pink, though Cassie assumed not just from the cold. "Sirius and I just got done with lunch at Madam Puddifoot's, but he said he was going to meet the other boys at The Three Broomsticks. Have you been to Gladrags yet? I really wanted to look at some new dress robes."

"Nope, we were just on our way there," Lily said, casting Cassie a surreptitious look she couldn't read, but she wasn't really paying attention.

She was staring off in the direction of The Three Broomsticks, a sudden ball of hot anger churning in her gut as she thought back to the deal she had struck with Sirius, and the challenge he had given her if Aubrey didn't ask her to Hogsmeade. Even though he had cheated her out of winning, she wasn't about to back down and appear weak, and she set her jaw determinedly, knowing what she had to do.

"You three go ahead," she said, waving the other girls off and marching toward the direction of the pub. "There's something I have to do."

She didn't wait for their response, making her way up the street and into the packed pub. Warmth and the smells of roasted meat and butterbeer washed over her as she entered, and she squeezed in between a set of warlocks speaking in fluid Dutch to each other, her eyes skimming the crowded room.

The place was packed with Hogwarts students, locals, and travelers alike, and she thought she would never be able to find the Marauders until she saw a flash of untidy black hair, and her gaze locked onto James as he expertly weaved through the patrons, holding four mugs of butterbeer in his hands and heading to a booth in the back where she could see Sirius, Remus, and Peter sitting. Raising her chin, she started after him.

James had just set down the drinks and slid into the seat next to Peter when she plopped herself into the space next to him, causing the bespectacled boy to start in surprise before he realized who she was.

"Sheesh, princess, don't sneak up on me like that!" he said, but she ignored him, looking to Sirius across from her and settling her face into the most icy expression she could conjure. From the way he attempted to muster a sheepish smile and failed, only shifting guiltily, she had a feeling it came off pretty well, and she silently thanked her pureblood ancestors for giving her such a dangerous face for when she needed it.

"When you grow up as an Alderfair, everything has meaning," she said, never once breaking her stare from Sirius's as they all watched her warily. "Every word is a promise, every gesture is calculated, and from an early age I was disciplined in the lessons of honor, intention, and what to do if someone should ever cross me in life."

She lifted her chin, seeing Sirius's wide grey eyes fixed upon her face as she continued. "You cheated me out of a deal we both agreed on, and besides being a very dishonorable thing to do, it was an insult to me and the values I hold dear. You went up against an Alderfair, and let me just tell you that that was a _very_ stupid thing to do."

The booth was silent, and she found she was quite enjoying herself as she leaned forward, lacing her fingers together on the table. Sirius hadn't moved a muscle since she had sat down, and he was staring at her as if he had never seen her before as she gave him a thin smile, before dropping her voice to a whisper.

"Don't _ever_ cross me again," she said darkly, and she swore he actually gulped before that sliver of Black arrogance reentered his expression.

"Is that a challenge, princess?" he said, a grin widening his mouth and giving him a predatory look, and she leaned back, arching a brow haughtily.

"Think of it more as a promise the next time you decide to be a moronic git," she said sweetly, and he smirked, the arrogant expression making something in her stomach swoop.

"Challenge accepted," he murmured, and after a few more seconds of intense staring, James finally broke the tension.

"Sweet Merlin above, you two are scary," he said, and Peter nodded in agreement, actually looking quite pale in the face.

"Are you both quite done, then?" Remus asked in exasperation. "Because I'd like to get on with it and enjoy a drink with all my mates now."

"Almost," Cassie said, holding up her hand, before turning to Sirius again. "As an Alderfair, it is also my honor to uphold my end of the deal, despite the underhanded methods used against me." She pointed her finger at him. "Shoe. Sock. Off."

He looked confused for a moment, before realization dawned on his face, and his eyes lit up with glee. "I thought this day would never come," he said, as he bent to do what she said. "Oh, this is going to be good."

"I have a very bad feeling about this," Remus said, his eyes darting back and forth between the two as Cassie tied her hair back from her face.

"Do I even wanna know what this is about?" James asked in a pained voice, and Peter nodded again.

"Something tells me you definitely don't want to miss this," the blond boy answered, and James grimaced, though continued to watch them cautiously.

"Ready whenever you are, princess," Sirius said smugly, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms over his head leisurely. "Heel to toe. The whole length."

Remus groaned, putting his head in his hands. "I can't believe you two are some of the friends I choose to spend my time with."

Cassie shot him a grin. "Oh, hush, Remus. You know you love us."

"After this, I don't think that's going to be possible anymore," he said, and she chuckled before inhaling deeply, steeling herself.

"Any day now, princess," Sirius said, wagging his brows, and she shot him a glare before sliding underneath the table, seeing his bare foot practically thrust into her face already.

 _Why do I do these things to myself?_ She asked herself silently, flinching back when Sirius wiggled his toes in her face expectantly. _Okay, no big deal. Just close your eyes and get it over with._

With a silent prayer to Merlin hoping that he had showered that morning, she stuck her tongue out and dragged it up the length of the sole of his foot, feeling the boy shaking with laughter above as the others rolled in their seats, practically screaming at the happenings proceeding under the table as she finished, spitting a few times onto the floor to get the taste out of her mouth. It wasn't a bad taste, per say – the only way she could describe it was distinctly _foot._

She emerged from underneath the table, immediately reaching for James's butterbeer and chugging a good portion of it while the boys roared with laughter around her.

"Cassie," James wheezed, pushing his glasses back up his nose and clapping her on the shoulder like a proud father, "you are something else."

"I'm going to go get myself a drink," she said, making a face before getting up and heading to the bar.

She hopped onto a stool and slid Madam Rosmerta a few coins when she brought her over a butterbeer, and the young witch gave her a dazzling smile when she saw the few extra Cassie had slipped in there for her. She remembered Rosmerta from school when she was a lot younger, as she had been casual friends with her brother, something Rosmerta seemed to think of in that moment, as well, for she gave her a wink and handed her a sweet roll with no extra charge before whisking away.

Cassie happily munched on the roll and sipped from her butterbeer, content in her seat at the bar as she listened to other people's random conversations, only looking up when she saw someone perch on the stool next to her.

"Is it wrong to say that I might be slightly aroused from you licking my foot?" Sirius said, stealing a piece of her roll as she gave him a disgusted look, though that odd swoop in her stomach happened again when he smirked at her.

"Very wrong, especially because you are dating Marlene," she pointed out, and she thought she saw his expression flicker before it was back in place.

"Good point," he agreed, winking and handing Rosmerta a few coins when she brought him another butterbeer. They drank in silence for a while before Sirius spoke up again, and what he said surprised her.

"You're a really good mate to me, Cassie," he said, tracing his finger down the side of his mug and catching the condensation that was forming on the glass. "I didn't think we would ever get along, but, well, I enjoy having you as a friend. And I'm very protective of that. And I can't really explain why but… I thought Aubrey was going to mess that up. That's why I sabotaged him asking you out, because… I guess I didn't want to lose you."

"Sirius, you're not going to lose me just because someone asks me out," she said, shaking her head in bafflement. "You're my mate, too, and I don't let small things like that worry me. So you don't have to worry about that, either."

They shared a small smile, and something seemed to pass between them, a faint flicker that Cassie felt in her fingertips before she dropped her gaze awkwardly, fiddling with the rest of her sweet roll.

Sirius suddenly held up his mug, and she eyed it questioningly as he grinned, meeting her eyes again. "To friendship," he said, and Cassie smiled as she clinked her own glass to his.

"To friendship," she echoed.

They both drank deeply before setting down their mugs, and she attributed the warmth glowing in her gut to the aftereffects of the butterbeer, and not to the feeling she had gotten whenever Sirius's eyes had met hers.

* * *

 **Please review! I love reading y'all's thoughts!**

 **For some reason I really loved writing Cassie's "pureblood" side. I think I just really love the idea that despite her being so different from her family, she was raised to be a certain way like them, and sometimes she allows those traits to shine, and I just really like that aspect of her. So, thoughts?**

 **Next Chapter: _The Family_**

 **xx**


	19. The Family

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **I know, I know, I'm really sorry for not updating in so long! And I hate making excuses when it comes to my writing, but this past month was actually crazy, from my computer crashing and (almost) losing all of my documents, to college orientation and wisdom tooth surgery...it was hectic. On the bright side, I still have about a month until school starts, so hopefully I'll have more time to write until then *fingers crossed***

 **But as always, thanks for all the new faves/follows while I was away, and THANK YOU to all my incredible reviewers from last time: lmoon6127, ollietrombone, heroherondaletotherescue, Raven that flies at night, Cae-Leigh Anne, lizyeh2000, treesliketorches, TheQueen1615, memo bonafide, 19irene96, BeanDipMcGee, Smurficorn, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: The Family

Cassie wrestled her way through the pack of students crowding the rickety platform, her breath spilling into the air in little puffs of smoke as she sidestepped a third year scouting for someone to practice his Tickling Hex on. She probably ought to have stopped him, but there was a reason Lily was the prefect, not her, and so she continued on, her eyes scanning over the faces around her until she spotted who she was looking for.

"Thank Merlin," she breathed, nearly collapsing into Alice's arms as she joined the small huddle of girls near the edge of the platform. "This place is like a madhouse; I thought I had lost you forever!"

"Where'd you go, anyway?" Alice asked, steadying her after she had barreled into their group, and she held up the bag of owl treats in her mitten-clad hand.

"Almost forgot these for Osbourne," she said, and Alice rolled her eyes.

"I reckon your owl could've lived without treats for a couple of weeks, Cass," she said. "And isn't Ozzy going home with you?"

Cassie shot her a disgruntled look. "Yes, but I didn't want to leave his treats behind. He loves these things." She shook the bag in Alice's face. "And believe me when I tell you that these are a lot better to give him rather than waking up and finding dead mice in your room."

Alice made a face, pushing her hand away. "Don't worry, I believe you."

Satisfied, Cassie bent down and stuffed the treats into her rucksack where she had left it before sprinting back to the castle, standing up and shouldering it just as the scarlet Hogwarts Express trundled into Hogsmeade Station.

The students who were taking the train back home for the holidays whooped and cheered when the steam engine groaned to a stop at the platform, and Cassie traded looks with Lily and Alice, neither of them understanding what the students were cheering for. She didn't quite understand it, either, but if they were excited about getting out of the cold, then she would gladly scream along with the rest of them as she burrowed deeper into her coat.

They followed the stampede of bodies onto the train, quickly finding a compartment and settling in so they wouldn't be trampled by anyone else. Lily slid the door closed behind her, plopping into the seat next to Cassie and removing her muffler, her fiery hair falling down her shoulders as she reached into her bag and pulled out a book. Cassie propped her back on the window and settled in to sleep while Alice and Marlene skimmed through Madam Malkin's winter catalogue, though the blond witch kept casting irritable looks to the door, as if she were expecting someone.

"Cassie, did you happen to see Sirius on your way back from the castle?" Marlene asked her, confirming the girl's suspicions as she cracked open an eye, ignoring the jab of annoyance that went through her at the question.

"Yeah, I saw him fondling the giant squid goodbye," she said, which only earned her a snicker from Alice and two looks of disapproval from Lily and Marlene.

Mar let out an _hmph_ of irritation. "He said we would ride together back to London."

Alice caught Cassie's eye and made a motion with her hips like one would do when riding a horse, and she couldn't hide her laughter, snorting into her coat sleeve and disguising it as a cough as Marlene got up, fortunately not seeming to have noticed them.

"I'm going to go find him," she announced, before flouncing out of the compartment and allowing Cassie and Alice to crack up in full while Lily just rolled her eyes at them.

"You two are juvenile," she said, though she sounded amused all the same as she went back to her book.

Most of the commotion outside had quieted, and the train jostled before starting up again, heading out of the station and gaining speed as they left the grounds of Hogwarts and the village behind. Cassie had only managed to doze for several minutes when suddenly a loud banging noise made her jerk awake, sitting up in her seat as Alice yelped and Lily dropped her book.

"Stupid door," Alice muttered, standing up and sliding the door to their compartment closed, which had apparently opened somehow and had been the source of the noise.

Blowing out her cheeks in a heavy sigh, Cassie settled back against the cool glass of the window when her eye caught on something black that flitted right past Alice's foot as the other girl sat down again. She looked to Lily, wondering if the red-haired witch had seen it, too, but she was too busy reaching down to pick up her fallen book to have noticed much else.

As she watched, however, Lily's book suddenly skidded across the floor of the compartment, like someone had given it a nice kick, and she jumped back in her seat, startled, her green eyes wide as she looked to the shocked Alice and Cassie.

"You both saw that, too, right?" she asked hesitantly, and they nodded, Alice casting a nervous look around them.

"Is there a haunted compartment or something that I don't know about?" she said, and Cassie started when she thought she heard the faintest chuckle from right next to her.

A lantern seemed to light within her brain, and she rolled her eyes to herself, saying, "Yeah, didn't you know? This compartment is haunted by a particularly idiotic and immature ghost that can't seem to learn the definition of 'stalking.'"

Alice and Lily both stared at her as if she had just admitted to having an affair with said ghost.

"Erm, is that really true?" Alice asked quietly, and Cassie rolled her eyes.

"No, Al, it's not," she said, getting to her feet. "I'm going to step out and see how long until the trolley rolls around."

She exited the compartment, leaving the door pointedly open for a few moments behind her before shutting it and turning around just in time to see James tugging his Invisibility Cloak off, grinning brightly, though fortunately out of view of the other girls.

"I'm a bit disappointed you caught on so quickly," he said, folding the cloak over his arm and reaching up to mess with his already mussed hair. "I was planning on having a bit more fun with Evans."

"Did you need me for something, James?" she asked, disregarding his earlier statements. "I was really looking forward to that nap."

"Well, there'll be plenty of time for that in our compartment," he said, grabbing her wrist and dragging her down the corridor. She attempted to dig her heels into the floor, but he was stronger than he looked, and she eventually gave up when his grip did not relent.

"Why do I have to sit with you lot?" she whined. "You have Mar, and I was perfectly fine where I was at, thank you very much."

"McKinnon's not sitting with us," he replied cheerfully, turning back and winking at her. "We paid off her brother and his mates to keep her occupied for the time being."

Cassie rolled her eyes, knowing full well that Mikey and his goofy friends would do anything the Marauders asked them to, starry-eyed fans they were. She felt relief that she wouldn't have to put up with her and Sirius, however, though she felt immediately guilty for thinking that.

"Why does it seem like Sirius tries to avoid her all the time now?" she asked, dodging a couple of Ravenclaws coming the opposite way down the corridor and ignoring their incredulous stares when they saw her walking nearly hand-in-hand with James Potter. "He's being very insensitive about it all, considering they're dating and everything."

"He's a hard man to love, princess," he said cheekily, and she looked to the ceiling helplessly at this answer. "He loves attention, but McKinnon dotes on him too much. It's driving all of us mad."

She frowned at the back of his head, noticing a tuft of hair that stuck out so prominently she had the sudden urge to lick her hand and smooth it down, though she refrained. "That doesn't mean you have to be pricks about it."

"I've seen the way you stare at them at dinner, Cassie," he said. "Don't act like they don't gross you out, either."

She made a face at him, knowing he had a slight point there. "Still. You should be more supportive of the people Sirius chooses to spend his time with."

"I am, princess, that's why you're coming to sit with us," he replied, and though the response was heartening to hear, she still couldn't help thinking about why Sirius didn't want to be around Mar.

They came to a stop at a compartment near the back of the train, and James slid the door open, Cassie following him in as the other three Marauders looked up at the sound of their entrance.

"Welcome back, Prongs," Sirius said grandly, spreading his arms wide in a welcoming gesture as he abandoned his game of Snap with Peter, who was discreetly blowing on the smoking cards in Sirius's hand in the hopes of igniting one of them to explode. "And it seems you brought the lovely Miss Alderfair, as well. Smashing to see you, dear."

He winked at her as she shut the door behind her, but she only gave him a dry look in return as she took the seat next to James, propping her feet up on his lap. The bespectacled boy flicked her calf, but otherwise made no attempt to push her off, so she settled more comfortably into the seat, still thinking about that nap.

"Come to lick any more feet?" Remus asked mischievously from across her, and she turned to face him with a grimace.

"No, thanks, Sirius scarred me enough," she retorted. "How's the flu?"

Remus winced at her question, rubbing the back of his neck and saying, "Better. Madam Pomfrey gave me some stuff that's been helping me get over it."

"Must've been a bad one," she said sympathetically, taking in his haggard appearance and tired green eyes. "Usually a dose of Pepper-Up has me back in shape in no time."

"Er, well, I think with all the stress added because of the exams it was worse," he mumbled, looking out the window as he said it and staring at the snow-laden trees whipping by. She noticed that the compartment had become quite still after her and Remus's conversation, before Peter coughed awkwardly and broke the silence.

"Up for a game, Cass?" he asked, waving the deck of cards at her, and she readily accepted, having gotten a hang of the game and determined to at least beat Peter once.

The rest of the day passed quickly, the compartment full of laughter and jokes, but Cassie couldn't help the jitters in her stomach as the day wore on, her mind turning to the unbidden fact that she would have to see her parents in only a few hours' time.

"Godric, Cassie, pay attention!" Sirius cried, batting the cards out of her hand that had just gone up in flames. The cards flew toward the door, exploding in a shower of sparks, and Remus put them out quickly with his wand before they caught the whole compartment on fire.

"The point of the game is to _not_ do that," Peter pointed out slyly, and she rubbed at her singed fingertips, frowning. "Sorry, I got distracted."

Peter shrugged, reshuffling the deck while she got to her feet and stretched. She turned to the door and made to step out before Sirius's voice held her back.

"Oi, where are you off to?" he demanded, and she waved a hand airily, though her stomach jolted when the conductor's voice suddenly announced that they would be arriving at King's Cross in five minutes.

"Just getting some air," she mumbled, before slipping out and starting back down the corridor, heading for the compartment she had been sharing with Alice and Lily earlier.

She had barely gone ten steps before she heard the door slide open behind her and Sirius's voice barked, "Oi, Cass, wait up!"

She didn't stop, but slowed her pace some so Sirius could catch up with her, that weird jolt going through her stomach again. She had considered yesterday's Hogsmeade trip to be quite a success in getting him to take her seriously, yet she now found it quite hard to make eye contact with him, though she was certain it had nothing to do with having licked his foot.

"What's up with you today, princess?" he said cheerily, flicking a piece of hair back from her face and causing her to bat his hand away. "You look like you're about to face the gallows or something."

She heaved a deep sigh, not even knowing where to begin sifting through all the anxieties weighing on her chest. "I'm just…not quite ready to go back home," she said, choosing the least incriminating statement, but Sirius just cocked his head, his grey eyes searching her face.

"I see," he said, and she got the feeling that he wasn't lying about that. "I'm not too terribly thrilled to be going back to my wretched family, either."

"They're not… _wretched,"_ she said, frowning. "They're just a bit complicated."

Sirius snorted. "All purebloods are awful to some degree," he said, before shrugging. "'cept James and his family; and my cousin Andromeda isn't too bad."

Cassie looked to him curiously. "You mean Andromeda Black?" Sirius nodded, confirming her redundant question, but she remembered Andromeda Black being a very big target for gossip during school a few years ago, and even her mother had mentioned something about her once or twice. "She ran off and got married to that Muggle-born, didn't she?"

"That's the one," Sirius said, picking at his fingernails. "You'd think she'd died from the way my mother talks about her. Even blasted her off right off the family tapestry." He chuckled bitterly. "She always likes to threaten me and say I'll be the next one to go, but Merlin knows I'm the one waiting for when that day comes more than her."

Cassie fidgeted with the ends of her coat sleeves, not quite knowing how to reply to that. Despite the rocky relationship she had with her father, she didn't think he would ever go so far as to disown her as Sirius's mother would, but Sirius seemed to sense her discomfort, for he just laughed and slung an arm over her shoulders.

"Listen, princess, you'll be fine," he assured her. "Just promise me something?"

"What's that?" she asked, trying to focus on his words and not the heat emanating from him, but it was proving to be quite difficult.

He stopped her and turned her shoulders so she was facing him squarely, and she forced herself to meet his gaze, her face suddenly a bit too warm when she saw how intense he looked, grey eyes solemn and handsome face serious. She was aware of how close they were standing in the small corridor, as well, but she tried not to think about it too much when he spoke again.

"If anything starts getting too bad at home, well, er, you can always write to me," he said, reaching up and brushing his hair out of his eyes and taking away slightly from his intensity, though she could tell he meant it. "Granted, my place wouldn't be any better, but if you ever wanted to get out and do something at some point over the holidays…"

He trailed off, now looking as if he had something he shouldn't have, but she was so taken aback and touched by his concern she found herself nodding.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said quietly. "And, erm, same to you."

They shared a tentative smile before the train began to slow, and the conductor announced that they had reached London.

"Well, I'd better get back," he said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "See you around, princess."

He winked one last time before strolling back the way they came, hands shoved in his pockets and stride as cool as ever, and she found herself staring after him a bit too long, only realizing what she was doing when compartment doors began to slide open and students started to emerge into the corridor around her.

She hurried back to her own compartment, grabbing up her rucksack as Lily and Alice did the same. They didn't ask where she had been, probably having guessed already, and they were all distracted when Marlene stomped into the compartment a few minutes later with a dramatic huff.

"My brother is _so_ annoying!" she said, shaking her head as she slung her bag over her shoulder with a jerky movement. "He made me play Gobstones with him and his freaky mates the whole way here and threatened to tell our parents about Sirius if I didn't!"

Cassie bit back a snort while Alice and Lily assured her that her brother was a git, and by the time they had disembarked the train the blond witch had calmed down some, wishing them all a good holiday before kissing each girl on the cheek and joining the throng of students on the platform.

"See you two in a few weeks!" Alice chirped, hugging Cassie and Lily tightly before waving to her father and heading over to her parents standing a few meters away, leaving the other girls alone together.

"Well, should we go find our own parents?" Lily said, gesturing to the crowd, only to frown when she noticed Cassie's hesitation. "What?"

"Er, Lils…" she said awkwardly. "Look, you know I would, but my mum wrote me last week… She said she was going to be busy at the office, so my dad would have to come get me."

She bit her lip, waiting as realization dawned on the red-haired witch's face.

"Oh," she said, blinking. "Right. Pureblood. Muggle-born." She gestured first to Cassie, then to herself, and the other girl winced.

"I'm sorry, Lils," she said hastily. "You've met my mum before; she loves you. But my dad…"

"Cass, I get it," she said, squeezing her elbow. "It's not your fault. Don't sweat it."

Cassie gave her an uncertain smile, but Lily just rolled her eyes and pulled her into a tight hug. "Take care, Cass. Have a good holiday."

"You too, Lils," she said, before pulling away and starting in the opposite direction with a last wave.

"And don't forget to write!" Lily called after her, and she shot her a thumbs-up over her shoulder before wading through the thick crowd, keeping a firm grip on her rucksack as she was jostled around.

Her throat felt uncomfortably dry, and her arms had started to itch under her coat as she scanned through the faces around her quickly, looking for the telltale signs of cold aristocracy and an aura of arrogance that people tended to give a wide berth around. Finally, after about three minutes, did she spot him standing some ways away from the crowd, other witches and wizards scurrying past with fervent looks cast to the elegant man in the black robes, and she gulped nervously.

Lukas Alderfair looked very much the same as he always had, ever since Cassie could remember him as a little girl. His brown hair was still cut in the same fashion, long on top and shorn on the sides, exposing the grey hair that had always been prominent there. He was not a very tall nor a very broad man, but his stiff posture and frighteningly cool demeanor always gave the impression as someone one should never dare slight. His pale skin was so smooth and unblemished it gave the appearance of very expensive porcelain, a stark contrast to his eyes, so dark they seemed almost black. It was these same eyes that locked onto her naught a second later, and Cassie ignored the sudden drop in her stomach as she approached him.

She waited until she had reached him to say anything, clearing her throat as she came to a halt before him and giving him a respectful nod. "Father."

"Cassiopeia." His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, and she swallowed nervously as his dark eyes raked her over, before one eyebrow rose in mild disgust. "I see you have decided to trade in your normal attire for whatever rubbish the Mudbloods wear today."

Cassie blanched, looking down quickly to her jeans and pea coat, and she silently cursed herself for being so stupid. Her wizard robes were sitting in the rucksack upon her shoulder, but it seemed that in the wake of her conversation with Sirius, she had completely forgotten to change before departing the train.

"I-I was going to change," she stammered, finding herself not quite able to meet his eyes. "On the train, I-I fell asleep, and forgot…"

She trailed off when he only gazed at her coldly, and she kept her eyes trained on her boots as he said in an offhand voice, "No matter. We can just add this mistake to the list of embarrassing things I wanted to speak to you about at dinner tonight. And perhaps your mother can explain to me why she allows you to go behind my back to buy such distasteful filth in the first place."

Cassie winced, suddenly feeling extremely nauseous. It was one thing for her father to be displeased with her, but she hadn't meant to get her mother involved in his ire this time. Eleanor excelled at being the voice of reason when it came to her husband and his treatment of their daughter, but defending the both of them against an angry Lukas Alderfair was a lost cause.

"Come," her father said, placing one of his pale hands on her shoulder and steering her firmly off of the platform. "Let us get away from this pigsty and go home."

Cassie cast a look back over her shoulder, struggling to get a last glimpse of any of her friends before being subjected back to her home life, but she felt tears prick her eyes when she saw no one and her father tightened his grip on her shoulder, preparing them for Side-Along Apparition.

The last thing she saw as she was sucked into darkness was a pair of glittering grey eyes trained right on her, and she faintly registered the face of Sirius, and what appeared to be a hard look of concern in his gaze, before she had left the platform behind.

* * *

If one were to visit the large town of Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire and had a certain hankering for nature and breathtaking sights, they would perhaps be recommended to the large hill of the North York Moors the town boasted, given the delectable name of Roseberry Topping. Muggles found it to be quite a charming tourist attraction in the area, and the moor's history dates back all the way to the age of the Viking, giving it a rich characterization and intense interest among most English historians.

However, no matter how intellectual and knowledgeable Muggles often claim to be, not a single one of them has any inkling that the moor is already inhabited, and by a village, no less. Of course, this village is nigh impenetrable by Muggles (though the occasional one does tend to stray within the wards by sheer accident, leaving for a very awkward situation for the Ministry of Magic to clear up), for it is exclusively inhabited by magical folk, and has been for quite some centuries.

Ilfracombe is a small yet grandiose village nestled in the moors sprawled around Roseberry Topping, and is said to have originated in the year 1119 when a pagan witch by the name of Ilfra Combe attempted to settle a safe haven for her cult of witches and wizards steeped in the dark and ancient arts that had first traversed the Earth upon its creation. The settlement was eventually attacked and destroyed by the First High Court of Magick, yet was later re-settled as the village of Ilfracombe in the Middle Ages due to its unique and captivating location, and over the centuries grew as a renowned and wealthy village to many respectable pureblood families – the Alderfairs, of course, being one of the most prominent.

Cassie was released from the compressing darkness of Apparition atop the hillside, where she promptly stumbled and dropped her rucksack while her father landed smoothly beside her, not a hair out of place as she scrambled to pick up her belongings.

He started up the stone path that led to an expansive wrought-iron gate some meters away, and she followed after him quickly, the sight of the gate only bringing her some small comfort as she took in the words etched at the top: _Forest fortuna adiuvat._

Suddenly she was eight years old again, running after her brother down the hill and laughing, hair streaming behind her as they collapsed against the cool metal of the gate, out of breath and panting from their race to see who could get there first.

"I beat you!" Will exclaimed triumphantly, his dark eyes sparkling while he shot her a smug grin, his slightly crooked front teeth showing out at her while she pouted.

"Only because you cheated!" she retorted, though she hadn't been that upset; Will was leaving for his first year at Hogwarts in a few days, and she had begun to cherish their moments together to savor them when he was off without her.

"Did not!" he argued, grabbing her and tickling her sides as she shrieked with mirth, begging him to stop. "Now, take it back!"

"Okay – you – won – fair and – square!" she gasped out. "I'm sorry!"

He released her from his wrath, and she laid back on the grass, staring up at the gate as he flopped down beside her, immediately beginning to rip up the weeds that were starting to grow there.

"What do you think that means?" she asked, pointing to the three words wrought above the gate, and he rolled his eyes.

"It's Latin, idiot," he said. "Father's told us what it means a thousand times: _fortune favors the brave._ It's our family motto."

"I _know_ that, dummy," she said, rolling her eyes. "But what does it _mean?_ I don't get why it's supposed to represent _us."_

Will scrunched up his nose, pondering her question before shrugging. "I dunno. I think it means if you want to be successful, you have to be willing to take risks."

She had made a face at this. "That's it?"

He looked over to her in exasperation. "Well, what do you want it to mean?"

She shrugged, her eyes tracing over the words again. "I'm not sure. I just think it should mean more than _that."_

"Maybe it's a sign," Will mused, looking like he was deep in thought. "Something like fate."

She laughed at this. "Oh? And what's your fate, brother? That you're destined to become the biggest fathead in the world?"

"Oh, shut up," he said, shoving her side as she giggled shrilly at her own joke. "I think it means that I'm going to be a Gryffindor."

"A Gryffindor?" She rolled onto her side so she was facing him seriously, her brows furrowed. "Why would you want to be in _that_ House?"

"What's wrong with Gryffindor?" he demanded, staring at her, and she frowned.

"Father says they value brawn over brains too much," she said. "And he and Mummy were both in Ravenclaw; why wouldn't you want to be in the House that they were in when they went to school?"

Will shrugged, looking back up to the gate thoughtfully. "Gryffindors value bravery and chivalry above all else," he said eventually. "Ravenclaw wouldn't be bad, but I feel like Gryffindor would help me become…greater, y'know? Like it could unlock my full potential."

"Well, _I'm_ going to be a Ravenclaw," she sniffed. "I'll make Father and Mummy proud."

Will snorted at this. "Cassie, if anyone's going to be a Gryffindor in this family, then it's _you."_

She looked to him, affronted. "How so?"

He laughed at her troubled expression. "Because you're _you._ You're too bold to be in boring old Ravenclaw – and you don't exactly have the intelligence of one…"

"Hey!" she complained, though she couldn't help but laugh along with him. They lay there in silence for a few moments once their laughter had passed, before she peeked over at her brother again. "Will?"

"Hm?" He looked back to her, brows scrunching when he saw how serious she looked.

"Promise me something?" she asked quietly, and he grinned at her.

"Anything for you, Sparks."

"If you get Sorted into Gryffindor, and I become a Ravenclaw…don't ignore me, okay? We can still be brother and sister, even if we're in different Houses."

He chuckled at this. "Sparks, you'll always be my sister. I'll never ignore you, or abandon you, all right? I promise."

"Cassiopeia."

She looked up at her father's voice, not even realizing that she had stopped walking completely when they had reached the gate, too absorbed in her old memory to pay attention to what she was doing. Her father watched her impatiently, standing at the now-open gate, and she muttered a hasty apology before following him through and up the stone path that would lead them to the manor.

The path wound its way up the hill, becoming gradually steeper as it went, though the views it offered outweighed the struggle of walking uphill. The moors stretched out below them in swatches of brown and green, appearing almost ghostly from the fine layers of mist overlying them. Lights were beginning to wink on in the village below in the semi-darkness of twilight, offering a golden opaqueness to the scene that was quite warm despite the cold winter air.

They made their way under tall alder trees, and through stone archways and courtyards overlooking the expansive gardens they kept, everything still in bloom and fresh from the spells the gardeners had placed upon the flora for the season. Eventually, through the gloom, a large Gothic structure began to edge into view, the many windows of the manor alight with lanterns and glittering out at them like hungry, intelligent eyes. Cassie suppressed a shiver as they began to make their way up the smooth marble steps that took them to the grand front doors; she had always considered Alderfair Manor to be creepy in some way, due to its cold, imposing exterior, but the feelings seemed to increase tenfold with her father at her shoulder as he waved his wand and the doors swung open easily, despite their size and heavy wood structure.

They stepped into the warm foyer, the doors closing behind them, and immediately a shrill voice puffed out, "Master Alderfair, welcome back! And you brought the young Mistress home from school, as well! Welcome, welcome!"

Cassie gave a tentative smile to the elderly house-elf hobbling toward them, her father immediately tossing his cloak to the small elf while Cassie handed hers over much more gently, saying, "Hi, Liddy. It's good to see you."

The elf's blue eyes peered up at her fondly, and her small hand patted Cassie's knee affectionately while she went to put up their coats, talking over her shoulder as she went. "I'm preparing tea for you now, Master and young Mistress, and supper is not far behind—"

"Did my wife tell you what time she would be home this evening?" Lukas interrupted, and Cassie cast him a nervous glance, seeing him pulling out his golden pocket watch and frowning at it as if it had caused him some personal offense.

"No, sir, Mistress Alderfair did not say," came Liddy's muffled voice from the coat closet. "She only said she was to be late—"

Liddy was interrupted yet again, but this time, because of a knock on the front doors. Three echoing booms sounded throughout the large room, and Cassie looked to her father questioningly, though he looked as surprised as she did.

"You didn't happen to give out this address to any of your, ah, _friends,_ did you?" he asked her, arching an imperious brow, and she shook her head quickly.

"Is there someone you were supposed to be meeting?" she asked hesitantly, but he only shook his head, now frowning at the doors.

"Cassiopeia, answer the door," he ordered her, and she hurried to comply, suddenly feeling an intense surge of dread as she placed her hand on the knob. Shrugging the warning off, figuring it was just because of her father, she pulled open the door and froze, her mouth dropping into a silent 'o'.

"Hello, sister." Will said, smirking at her through the shadows. "Mind if I come in?"

* * *

 **Please review! I always love to read what y'all think!**

 **I wasn't entirely pleased with this chapter, but I think y'all are really going to like what I have planned for this holiday arc, so they should be better from here on out!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Invitation_**

 **xx**


	20. The Invitation

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **And another chapter! I'm honestly pretty impressed that we're on chapter 20; this story definitely would not have come this far without all of y'all's support!**

 **That being said, thanks for all the new faves/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: ollietrombone, Les Spring Hamilton, heroherondaletotherescue, RedRoses130, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, SilverNightmares, Something like me, and Guest!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty: The Invitation

 _20 December 1975_

 _Dearest Prongs,_

 _It's been approximately 48 hours since we departed from Platform 9 ¾, and I am utterly bored. I've been hiding out in my room since we've gotten back, mostly to avoid Mother's incessant cursing and nagging. I think Father's gone through about four bottles of firewhiskey in the meantime, and I'm starting to worry about his liver. Not really. I'd find it ironic if he died from alcoholism, so cheers to that._

 _Anyway, enough about my dazzling home life and charming family. I was actually writing to you to see if you had heard from Cassie at all? I told her to write me if things got rough over at her place, but I was thinking about it and maybe thought she had misunderstood it to mean that she could write any of us? I'm sending letters to Moony and Wormtail, as well, but I just wanted to be sure. You'd tell me if she wrote you, yeah?_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Padfoot_

* * *

 _21 December 1975_

 _My darling Padfoot,_

 _I can't believe it's taken this long for you to write me! Honestly, mate, usually I receive a letter from you within the first 24 hours! This is truly unacceptable._

 _Dad's been busy at the office most of the time, which means Mum is making me clean and help her prepare for Christmas dinner (and before you ask, yes, we'll be saving you leftovers). Dunno why she's making me do all this, though; I mean, we have a house-elf for a reason, but I guess she likes to feel good about herself during the holidays or whatnot. Speaking of which, my parents are fine with you coming to stay with us after Christmas again. Mum says you can stay however long you like, too._

 _And before you jump down my throat about it, no, I haven't heard from Cassie. Has Moony replied yet? If she were to write any of us, it might be him. (And Pads, just a little word of advice…don't sound so desperate next time, yeah?)._

 _Let me know whether you can stay or not! I'll try and get Moony and Wormtail out here, too, that way the whole gang's here._

 _Best,_

 _Prongs_

* * *

 _21 December 1975_

 _Dear Padfoot,_

 _I thought we agreed that you would at least_ _ **try**_ _to use Muggle mail when you wanted to write to me? Your owl nearly scared the living daylights out of my mum, and now she keeps looking at the kitchen window like she's afraid something's going to come through it and eat her._

 _Sorry to hear about your mum and dad; they're both slimy gits anyway, so it's probably best you stay clear of them (and please don't let them find out what I just said about them). Did Prongs write you about spending the rest of the holidays at his place? My mum doesn't really like the idea of me leaving so soon after Christmas, but she usually listens to me so I'll probably end up going, anyway._

 _I haven't heard from Cassie, either. Sorry mate. You sure she hasn't written you yet? (Also, are any of you getting her something for Christmas? I want to, but if the rest of you aren't I don't think I will. It'd be a bit awkward, you know?)._

 _Anyway, happy holidays, and see you soon!_

 _From,_

 _Wormtail_

* * *

 _22 December 1975_

 _Padfoot –_

 _Sorry it took a couple days for me to reply. I had to finish up Christmas shopping with my mum and dad and I still wasn't feeling too well after my transformation. I feel fine now, don't worry – we don't need another rescue mission from second year._

 _I'm assuming Prongs already wrote you about all of us getting together at his place after Christmas? Wormtail thinks he can make it, and my dad said I could go as long as I get all of my holiday reading done first, which shouldn't be too hard – I'm already halfway done with it, and I think it's actually quite interesting. (I'm not even going to bother asking if you've already started; we both know you'll wait until the night before to do it)._

 _Pads, I'm sure Cassie's fine. She hasn't written me, either, but that's a good thing, right? If she was in trouble, she definitely would've contacted us already. And if I'm being honest, I think you're a bit too paranoid right now. Cassie's family isn't yours – from the few times we talked about it, she seems to actually really like her mother, and though she has to tread carefully around her father, she doesn't seem to believe that he's all that bad. The only person we should be wary of is Will, but no one's heard anything about him in weeks, and Cassie would have told us if he was back, I'm sure of it._

 _Speaking of Cassie, are you getting her anything for Christmas? Wormtail said he was thinking about it, but I think it'd be nice if all of us got a little something for her._

 _Anyway, I need to go, but I'll see you in a few days, all right?_

– _Moony_

* * *

Sirius sighed and crumpled up the letter, tossing it into the bin where all of his other letters had gone since he had arrived home. Besides the ones from the other Marauders, the rest were tinted slightly pink and smelled like the nauseating aroma of roses, and he had taken extra care to avoid those.

He had been hoping that with some distance Marlene would back off for a bit, but if anything, their time apart was simply reinforcing her need to pervade every aspect of his life. He cast a disdainful look at the ring sitting atop his dresser, an early Christmas present that had arrived with one of the letters, and he realized with a sinking feeling that he was actually going to have to break things off with the persistent witch. Usually he opted for the easier route of ignoring his exes until they inevitably drifted apart, but that obviously wasn't going to work with Marlene.

He laid back on his bed and rubbed his hands over his face, already dreading what such a confrontation would bring, for he had at least _some_ tact in choosing not to dump her via owl. He suddenly winced when he wondered how Cassie would react to him breaking up with one of her best friends before he pushed that thought to the side, the gnawing worry that started up every time he thought of the dark-haired witch beginning to knead at his insides again.

He knew he should be relieved that Cassie hadn't written him; after all, it was exactly as Remus had said. If she was in trouble, they would've heard from her by now. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

 _Or maybe you were just hoping that she'd write you because you just wanted to talk to her,_ a tiny voice suggested, and Sirius scowled, batting that thought away. After all, it wasn't as if two weeks was an exceptionally long time for them to not see each other. Before this year, he had barely even been aware of her existence – he should be used to not being around her, right?

 _It's this bloody house,_ he realized, staring up at the dark ceiling above him. 12 Grimmauld Place was far from cheery, and even further from feeling even remotely like a home to him. Here, he was trapped. Alone and locked away in his room, decorated so it felt like even the tiniest sliver of home, which was his dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. The one place he felt like he belonged.

That was it, he thought. He was lonely, and even though he was going to see his mates in a few days, he couldn't help but wish that Cassie would be there with them. There was something about her that seemed so…natural. Like she was supposed to be where he was, like she fit into their group like a puzzle piece they never knew they needed.

He thought about the last time he had seen her that day on the train, how she had laughed at all of their stupid jokes in the compartment, brushing her hair out of her face and her fair cheeks stained permanently red from her mirth. And then how she had looked so worried when he'd confronted her in the corridor, his fingers curled over the tops of her shoulders and her breathing moving her body under his hands, and how he'd made her promise to write him if anything happened. He saw her anxious eyes one last time on the platform, her angular face tight with apprehension, and he'd thought about running to her then, though the presence of his mother had kept him from doing anything rash. Looking back on it, he wished he had run to her, though. At least then she would have kept him away from this bloody family.

There was a soft knock on his door, two raps that barely sounded over the blaring of his Muggle rock music (he had been sure to pick the loudest record, just to piss off his mother), but he instantly knew who it was. His mother had the nasty habit of pounding on his door with her bony knuckles and screaming when she wanted him to come out, and considering his father never came up to his room, he knew it had to be his brother.

After debating for a few moments whether he wanted to answer or not, he finally sighed and trudged over to the door before opening it, looking down into the face of his brother as he stood there uncertainly.

"No, I'm not going to turn down my Muggle filth, Reg," he said before his brother could even open his mouth. "Now, if that's all—"

Sirius made to close the door, but Regulus pushed back on it, scowling. "That's not what I was going to say, you idiot!"

Sirius stopped attempting to shut the door, instead holding it ajar and rolling his eyes. "Then what the hell do you want?"

"To come in," he said, arching an imperious brow, and Sirius scoffed, though he stepped away to allow him entry.

Regulus brushed past him and leaned against the black wardrobe set up against the far wall, casting a distasteful look to the beat-up record player he had found in one of their Muggle neighbors' trash bins that was currently blaring Deep Purple.

"I don't understand how you can listen to this rubbish," Regulus said, having to nearly shout to be heard over the music as Sirius cranked the volume down just a little before sitting down on his bed again.

"It's called rock n' roll, Reg," Sirius said, brushing his hair out of his face, "and it's the future, let me tell you."

"It's a menace to my eardrums, is what it is," he replied, sniffing, and Sirius cracked a small grin before waving his hand to him.

"All right, Reg, if you didn't come to complain about my music, then why are you here?" he asked.

Regulus suddenly looked nervous, casting an anxious look to the door before turning up the volume on the record player again. Sirius watched him in confusion, wondering what his brother was doing as Regulus leaned forward, his darker eyes serious.

"I was down in the drawing room a few minutes ago," he began, and Sirius had to strain to hear his voice over the music, watching his lips form the words so he wouldn't be completely lost. "I heard Mother and Father talking about that new friend of yours, Alderfair."

Sirius was instantly on high alert, sitting up straighter and staring at his brother as he leaned closer, suddenly feeling as if he had been doused in ice water. "What were they saying?"

"Nothing too important," Regulus said hastily, casting another look to the door. "They were just saying how they should invite the Alderfairs over for Christmas dinner." Sirius frowned, his fingers digging into the side of his mattress as he thought before Regulus continued.

"And before you get any ideas in your head, they didn't sound interested in your girlfriend," he said, rolling his eyes, and Sirius's head snapped up at this, his mouth opening in protest, but Regulus talked over him. "They were talking about her brother a lot, though, and what he was doing in his campaign with the Dark Lord."

Sirius snorted, running a hand through his hair as he sat back, scowling. "Of course they were," he said scathingly. "They're probably wondering where they should go to sign you up."

There was a heartbeat of silence until Sirius realized what he had just said, and he winced, looking up to Regulus guiltily. "Reg, hey—"

"No." It was one word, but it sounded so cold, so flat, that Sirius couldn't help but to shrink back just a bit from his brother's tone. He looked up and saw Regulus standing completely straight, his hands curled into fists so tight that his knuckles were slowly turning white. His face, however, was flaming red with anger, and something like mortification, and his eyes had become glittering chips of ice, cutting into Sirius like the sharpest blade.

"No," he repeated, and Sirius saw that his brother was trembling. "You don't get to say that and then turn around and blow it off like it was nothing." Regulus's voice was harsh, and Sirius distantly wondered if he had ever heard him sound so detached, his fury all but numbed out of his voice. "Is that all you think I'll ever be, Sirius? Is some fucking Death Eater?"

Sirius stood up from his bed abruptly, easily looming over his younger brother as he stared into the cold depths of Regulus's eyes, feeling simultaneously shocked and furious.

"Well, with the people you hang around with now and what they're into, you can't blame me for being cautious," he snapped, and Regulus's angry scowl turned into a sneer.

"Admit it, brother," he hissed, coming to stand before Sirius until they were practically nose-to-nose. "That's exactly what you're afraid of, isn't it? You preach about how much you care about me despite the fact that Mother and Father pit us against each other—"

"I _do_ care, you moron!" Sirius snarled, jabbing his finger into his brother's chest and forcing him back a step. "All my life I've spent looking out for _you—"_

"Like hell!" Regulus said, and his usual low voice was very nearly raised in a shout. "As soon as I became a snake you dropped me in favor of your mangy half-blood friends and that blood traitor Potter—"

"Don't say a word about my mates!" Sirius roared, pushing his brother back until he hit the wardrobe. "They're twice the decent human beings your Muggle-hating _friends_ are—"

Regulus shoved him, hard, and sent him staggering back a step, staring at him with red eyes while Sirius regained his balance, cursing.

"See?" he cried, his voice still raised as he pointed accusingly at Sirius. "This is exactly what I mean! You don't care, you never did – all you sodding care about is how much time I have left until I join up with the Dark Lord! Admit it!"

"Have you not been listening to anything I've been saying?" Sirius shouted. "You're my brother, Reg! You're the only bloody person in this damned house I care about! And I'm not – I won't lose you—"

"Lose me to what?" The deathly cold voice was back, and Regulus was staring at him as if he had never seen him before. He gave a dry, brittle chuckle, shaking his head as Sirius glowered at him. "C'mon, Sirius; you were just saying it. Lose. Me. To. What?"

"Get out," Sirius snapped. "We're done here."

"Whatever you say." Regulus shrugged, walking to the door while another guitar solo wailed from the record player, the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

"Oh, and Sirius?"

He didn't turn around, but he could sense Regulus's eyes boring into the back of his head, and he grit his teeth.

"I'd keep an eye on your girlfriend if I were you," he said, and Sirius froze, his muscles tensing as he finally turned to look at his brother, seeing him standing in the doorway, one hand on the knob while he smirked at his older brother, his eyes cold. "I wouldn't want one of my _mates_ to catch her alone when we got back to school after all the poking around she's doing."

"Is that a threat?" Sirius said, his voice dangerously low, and Regulus smirked at him again.

"Now, I never said that, did I?" He gave him one last cheery wave before he was gone, shutting the door behind him with an audible snap and leaving Sirius more alone than he ever had been at Grimmauld Place.

* * *

 _19 December 1975_

 _Cassie the Sass(ie)y,_

 _Exactly 16 hours have passed since we last saw each other, but I have to say: I MISS YOU! Of course, I miss Lils and Mar, too, but they weren't the ones who sat in the Hospital Wing with me for those two weeks in first year when I had dragon pox. Plus, you're the only person who can adopt a tree for a pet and not weird me out by it, so yeah, I miss you the most._

 _I don't have a lot to talk about, considering we just saw each other…OH! I almost forgot to tell you! Frank invited me over to his house for New Year's! Isn't that exciting? He asked me yesterday as we were leaving the station – he was so sweet about it and everything! You have GOT to help me get ready. I already have a few outfits in mind, but I'll send pictures for you the day before so you can help me decide. (How you can pick the perfect outfit for me but refuse to do the same for yourself will forever amaze me, by the way)._

 _Anyway, I'll talk to you soon! Hope everything is going all right over at your place!_

 _Yours truly,_

 _Alice the Chalice_

 _P.S. Mum and Dad are baking pumpkin bread for you – I'll send it along with Hera in a couple days xx_

* * *

 _21 December 1975_

 _Dear Cassie,_

 _How are you? It's been snowing here like mad! Daddy's already had to shovel the driveway twice – Mum says it's useless, since the snow will just come right back, but he insists, and Merlin knows he's too stubborn to stop. Tuney's being unbearable, as usual. She's got a boyfriend now; his name's Vernon, and he's probably the most dreadfully boring person on the planet. And he's very standoffish; not at all a gentleman, but Tuney's obviously very smitten with him (gag). He's coming over for Christmas dinner, which means Tuney has gone absolutely starkers and keeps telling me that if I show any signs of magic she'll bury me in all that snow to where no one can find me (I haven't bothered to tell her that I can't do magic outside of school, but what she doesn't know won't hurt her, yeah?)._

 _Honestly I'm a bit worried about Sev, too. I know you and him have never gotten the opportunity to talk much, but I hope you can find some sympathy for him. He's been different ever since this year started, and it's really starting to concern me. He's been very moody, and he's been lashing out more, and I don't know what I can do to help him other than just be there for him. Hopefully it's just a phase, but I think having him around more during the holidays should help his spirits, don't you think?_

 _Speaking of holiday spirits, I hope everything is okay with you. I was reading the_ Daily Prophet _last night and there was a mention about your brother in one of the articles. I never got a chance to read the whole thing through (I always have to hide them whenever Tuney's around or she'll get mad) but now I can't find it, so I don't know what was in it. Do you?_

 _Hopefully we'll talk soon, but until then, have a good holiday and Happy Christmas!_

 _With love,_

 _Lily_

* * *

 _22 December 1975_

 _Dear Cassie,_

 _UGH, I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH! Late night boy talks would be so much easier if we were all actually together._

 _While on the topic of boys, have you heard from Sirius at all? I know the two of you are friends so I just wanted to be sure. He hasn't responded to any of my letters – not even the one where I sent him the promise ring as his present! (Dramatic sigh) Boys. Don't ever get involved with them, Cassie. They're nothing but stress and heartache._

 _But anyway. How are you? Hope your holiday is going well so far! You can expect my present soon. I think you're going to like it…_

 _Love you bunches, and you'll be sure to tell me if Sirius writes you, yeah?_

 _xoxo,_

 _Marlene_

* * *

 _22 December 1975_

 _Cass –_

 _Hello? Are you even alive? You haven't responded to me at all yet!_

 _Don't even think about eating any of that bread until you write me back, missy, understand? And if you don't respond before Christmas Eve we are going to have_ _ **serious**_ _issues, got it?_

 _Love you, even though you're IGNORING YOUR BEST FRIEND!_

– _Alice_

* * *

 _22 December 1975_

 _Cassie,_

 _Hey. It's Sirius. How are you doing?_

 _Look, I don't want to make this all about myself or make you feel uncomfortable, but…things are going pretty shite here. I won't go into detail, but I just needed to write to someone, you know? And I've written about a thousand copies of this same letter to try and send to James or Remus or Peter, but for some reason I could never finish them. And then I thought of you and everything became so much easier. Stupid, right?_

 _Anyway, I think where I'm going with this is that I need to know if you're all right and not having a horrible time like I am. And if everything is fine, that's great! Sirius-ly (haha). But if not… then I'm here. Maybe my emotions are speaking for me after the row I just had with my brother, but I miss you, princess. Who else am I supposed to mess with if you're not here?_

 _Another thing, though, and I don't know if you know yet, is that my parents are inviting yours over for Christmas dinner. And as much as I hate myself for asking you this…if I invited you, would you come with them? I despise knowing that you'll have to meet my insufferable family, but having you there would at least make the night more bearable. And don't feel obligated to come just because I asked you. Merlin, I would hate that. But I would also really like it if you came, nonetheless._

 _Send your reply back with Perseus (and I'm sorry if he bites you – he gets a bit excited sometimes). Hope you're having a good holiday, Cass._

 _Yours,_

 _Sirius_

* * *

Cassie put down the letter with a sigh, subtly moving away from the handsome black owl perched on her windowsill after reading through Sirius's warning about it biting.

Dusty evening light spilled forth into her room through the open window, giving the place a layer of grey that made it seem dreary as she sat upon her bed, still holding the letter in her hands.

She cast a look to the large mahogany desk set up in the corner, her eyes raking over the unanswered letters she had from Alice, Lily, and Marlene with a guilty twinge flicking at her heart. It wasn't as if she were avoiding them all; she simply had nothing to talk about. After all, what could she say?

 _Hey, guys, sorry I haven't answered. Besides the fact that my brother showed up out of the blue after being on the run from torturing a bunch of Muggles and my father cleared his name with the Ministry a few days ago, leaving him innocent and free to attack again, everything has just been peachy! My father's been ignoring me, my mother's never home, which means I'm left avoiding my Death Eater brother like the plague, and I couldn't be happier! Christmas cheer is in the air and I can't wait to make cookies with my brother and pretend that everything is all right!_

Yeah, she thought to herself wryly, because that would go over _real_ well.

She'd practically locked herself in her room since returning home, only emerging to go to the bathroom at night when she was sure everyone else was asleep. She'd even ordered Liddy to bring her meals privately, and she ate in solitude, surrounded by the same four walls she had had since she was a child.

The room was mostly bare, considering most of her things were still hanging in the dormitory at Hogwarts, except for the few items she couldn't bring with her, such as the huge framed paintings of prowling griffins and flying ravens that she had adored when she was younger. The walls were white but were decorated with blue and bronze flowers, a remnant from her days when she was convinced she was going to be a Ravenclaw that she hadn't the heart to change, even when she had become a Gryffindor and grown up.

A large bed canopied by white silk curtains dominated most of the room, with an expensive feathered rug beneath it that contrasted with the dark wooden floors, made of the same mahogany as her desk and every other piece of furniture in the room. Large windows offered a plethora of light and lovely views of the countryside, but with the wintry twilight gloom outside, they just made everything look depressing. It was a grand room, to be sure, but she felt lonelier than ever when she was in it, and she suddenly longed for the warmth and comfort her dormitory in Gryffindor Tower brought her, away from the mess that had ensnared the Alderfair household upon Will's unexpected arrival.

The last time Cassie had seen him was the night he had appeared on their doorstep. After his cryptic greeting, he had asked to speak with their father alone in his study; she had had no idea why then, but after reading the article Lily had spoken about in the _Daily Prophet,_ she had suddenly understood.

 **WILLIAM ALDERFAIR'S NAME CLEARED IN MUGGLE ATTACK INVESTIGATION** the headline had blared, and it had been with a sort of sick sinking feeling in her chest that she had read the rest:

 _On Monday morning, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch, reported in an exclusive statement with the_ Daily Prophet _that all charges being held against Wizengamot member Lukas Alderfair's son have been dropped concerning the Muggle attack that took place in Cokeworth nearly two months ago._

 _"The evidence that had previously been pointing to William Alderfair as a suspect for the crime has been reviewed and labeled as circumstantial," Crouch told reporters, alongside several somber-looking Ministry officials. "Eyewitness accounts have been thrown out of the Council of Magical Law's investigation due to bias and unreliability, and have thus proven Mr. Alderfair's innocence."_

 _The Auror's account of the incident and the naming of William Alderfair as a suspect previously published has been ruled as "artificial" and "false" in terms of the investigation, with Lukas Alderfair confirming that he and the Auror in question had a complication in the past that led to the erroneous eyewitness account that had incriminated Mr. Alderfair's son. The Auror in question declined to comment on the decision, only stating that he would be resigning from the Auror Office once Christmas was over._

 _Ministry officials still declare that the investigation is ongoing, and Minster of Magic Harold Minchum assures the magical community that the attackers will be apprehended and brought to justice_ (for updates on the investigation, see pg. 12).

Reported by Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent of the _Daily Prophet_ and _Evening Prophet_

Even though she had burned the article after reading it, she still felt nauseous every time she thought about it, and she wondered what Will could have told their father that had made him help clear his name.

 _It's not what it looks like. I'm so sorry. I don't even remember what happened. Please believe me._

Cassie shut her eyes, digging the heels of her palms into her eye sockets in an attempt to stop the barrage of words and images that were flooding her brain. She had had _enough,_ dammit! All she had wanted was a simple holiday, and now all she was getting was enough trouble to last her a lifetime.

"Rough day, eh?"

Cassie was instantly on her feet, wand in hand as she faced her door, where Will was leaning casually in the threshold. She hadn't even heard the door open, and that only made her angrier as he smirked at her, crossing his arms leisurely.

"Get out," she snapped, raising her wand. "I won't ask twice."

"That didn't sound like asking the first time," he said, raising his brows, and her teeth ground together with an audible click.

"Just leave," she said. "Father and Mum may think you're innocent, but I sure as hell don't."

"I think the Ministry dropping all charges against me seems to disprove that little theory of yours, sister," he said mockingly, and her fingers tightened upon her wand. "And here I thought that you would be the first to believe me when I said I had no part in that attack."

"You're a liar," she hissed. "I don't know what you told Father, but you're not fooling me with it."

"How strange," he mused, cocking his head and frowning at her, like she was a dog that had failed to perform a trick for him. "The last time we met, you were so adamant in hoping that I could still somehow be saved, and now you seem to have lost all that faith in me."

"Finding out that your brother tortures innocent people tends to have that affect on a person," she bit back, and he smiled ruefully, not at all bothered by her hostility.

"And yet you still wear the locket that your evil older brother gave to you," he said, and she started, momentarily distracted as she gazed down to the locket sitting against her chest, twinkling brightly. "Has it been of any use to you yet?"

"I don't see how an enchanted piece of worthless jewelry could be of any use to me other than hanging there like a pretty bauble," she retorted, and his expression darkened at her words.

"Think of me as a liar all you want, Cassie, but heed my words when I tell you that that locket is important," he said gravely, and a sudden chill went down her spine at how grim he looked. "It could very well mean the difference between life and death."

She didn't respond, too shaken to say anything, and she merely watched as he stood up straight, uncrossing his arms and giving her a patronizing salute.

"See you around, Sparks," he called over his shoulder, walking back down the hallway and leaving her standing, still holding her wand, in the middle of her bedroom, his words ringing in her ears.

After making sure he was gone, she rushed to her door and locked it, stowing away her wand as she hurried over to her desk and snatched up several pieces of blank parchment paper, a quill, and an inkpot, hastily beginning to pen four desperate letters.

By the time she was finished, they were smeared and dotted with stray ink blots, but otherwise contained the same message: _I don't care how crazy I sound. Something is going on. And we need to figure out what._

She couldn't make sense of any of it: Avery, Regulus, Professor Carlisle, the maps, the Founders, Will, the locket… None of it added up. But something was rooting itself in her gut, something that twisted and pawed at her and begged her to look in the right direction, and she had to _see._ She had to know what was going on. And by Merlin himself, she was going to get the answers she needed.

She looked back down to the letters again, before a sudden urge made her grab up the quill once more and scrawl another sentence at the bottom of the one closest to her: _I'll be there._

Sealing the letters and grabbing them up, she walked back over to her window and met the intelligent gaze of Sirius's owl, silently praying that he wouldn't bite her as she tied the letters to his legs.

"Sorry about this," she whispered after tying them on, "but these are really important, okay? Make sure they get these."

The owl ruffled his jet black feathers, hooting once as an assurance before soaring out of her window, leaving her there to stare after him and watch as he shrank into a faint shadow, before disappearing on the horizon like a wisp of smoke.

* * *

 **Please review! Every comment is wonderful to read!**

 ***A/N: I know a lot of you are probably wondering, so let me just go ahead and state for the record that Sirius is NOT running away...yet. There's still a lot more to come before the eldest Black flees the nest, so just bear with me until then. I'm trying to keep this story as canon as possible when it comes to the timeline, and I know Sirius runs away around this time, but he's just not there yet. A couple more things need to happen before he gets to that point, but more on that later on in the story.***

 **And if you think things are tense now...**

 **Also, I'm extremely curious to know what y'all think of Will: Innocent? Guilty? Other thoughts? Please don't hesitate to share, either in a review or PM! I always love hearing from my readers :)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Black Christmas_**

 **xx**


	21. The Black Christmas

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I am terribly sorry for the delay in updating, but alas, college enjoys making me suffer. This chapter is a lot shorter than I expected, but it moves the plot along, nonetheless, so I hope it is suitable.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows while I was away (I can't believe we're over 300 already!), and of course, thanks to my reviewers from last time: Raven that flies at night, heroherondaletotherescue, Les Spring Hamilton, FangirlForEternity, 13Zander13, treesliketorches, Calllisto, tennismaniac19, AllThingWeird35, RedRoses130, DarlingPeterPan, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One: The Black Christmas

For the first time in sixteen years, Cassie was not looking forward to Christmas morning.

There was a time long since past when she would have woken up before dawn and stolen downstairs in the dim early morning hours, snuggling on the rug near the hearth where she would have a perfect view of their extravagant tree, still lit during the night and casting flickering shadows that danced patterns before her as she watched, still and silent throughout the night.

Of course, she never saw Father Christmas, no matter how much she struggled to stay awake, but it was still worth it to sleep on the floor and wake up to find her brother curled up next to her, her body warm from his own pressed against hers and the fire at their backs.

This year, there would be none of that. Despite jolting awake at around three o'clock in the morning after having some dream she couldn't remember, she still lay in her bed long after the sun had risen, only to be roused by a soft knock on her door at around lunchtime.

She stayed on her side, facing the frosty afternoon outside of her window even after she heard the door open. She only stirred when she felt her mattress dip behind her from someone's weight sitting upon it, and she rolled over to see her mother smiling down at her, her ebony hair still perfect even after sleep, though her bright blue eyes hinted at tiredness as she gazed down to her daughter.

"Happy Christmas, my love," Eleanor whispered, and Cassie nearly threw herself into her mother's arms; she had only seen her a handful of times since the holiday had begun, as she always seemed to be working, and the relief she felt when she entered her mother's embrace was almost enough to take a week's worth of tension from her shoulders.

"Happy Christmas, Mum," Cassie said, her voice raspy from its lack of use over the days, and Eleanor's arms seemed to tighten ever so slightly around her. They stayed like that for a long while, until finally Eleanor sighed and pulled away, brushing back a loose strand of hair from Cassie's forehead.

"Come downstairs," she urged, giving her a faint smile. "You have presents, and I'll get Liddy to make us some tea."

At this, Cassie's relief vanished, and she felt her anxiety come rushing back as she thought about the other half of her family. "What about Father and Will?"

Eleanor looked puzzled as she gazed at her daughter. "What about them?"

Cassie attempted to keep her composure, forcing her voice to be as nonchalant as possible when she said, "Are they, er, here?"

"No, they had to return to the Ministry," she said, and Cassie didn't miss the tight lines around her mother's mouth before they were gone, to be replaced by another one of her dazzling smiles. "Come, dear; those presents aren't going to open themselves!"

Cassie let herself be pulled out of bed, schooling her expression into something more neutral as she followed her mother down the hall to the grand staircase. Why would her father and brother still be making visits to the Ministry, especially on Christmas morning? Wasn't Will's name already cleared? What more could they possibly be doing?

The unsettling feeling that had been sitting in Cassie's gut for the last week only seemed to intensify the longer she thought about it, but she tried to quash it down as she followed her mother into the drawing room, where a plethora of presents wrapped in shiny silver and gold paper gleamed out at her from beneath the tree.

Cassie sat herself down in her customary spot next to the tree while Eleanor perched herself in one of the straight-backed armchairs that decorated the room, and she tried not to feel like something was missing as she reached for the first parcel that had her name on it at Eleanor's urging. She unwrapped the gift and found inside a new set of silky wizarding robes, as black as Peruvian ink, and despite her aversion to wizarding fashion, she couldn't help the small gasp of surprise that came out of her mouth when she unraveled them.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Eleanor said, her blue eyes raking over the robes with the eye of the wizarding world's most acclaimed fashion magazine editor. "I purchased them from a friend of mine all the way from China; he said the silk in those was woven nearly a thousand years ago, made by some of the greatest magical Chinese seamstresses the wizarding world had ever seen."

"They're gorgeous," Cassie said, and she was surprised that she meant it as the fabric slipped easily through her roaming fingers.

"You can wear them tonight," Eleanor suggested, turning her head and watching as Liddy bumbled into the room, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits and fruit as she bowed lowly to Eleanor. "The Blacks are a very esteemed family, and Walburga has an eye for fashion that I could use at the magazine, yet she refuses me every time. She'll adore you."

She laughed at this, a tinkling sound that made Cassie's lips curl at the corners, as well, and she helped herself to a piece of cantaloupe before turning to her other presents.

"You remember the Blacks, don't you, Cassie?" Eleanor continued as she opened a box containing another silver bracelet she would probably never wear, and she looked up at her mother's question, nodding.

"Yes," she said, setting the bracelet aside and tearing the paper off of another parcel. "I was in the same manners classes with their youngest son when I was little."

"But their oldest is in your year, yes?" Eleanor said, and Cassie nodded. "Sirius, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Cassie said, feeling a sudden prickle at her skin whenever Sirius's name was mentioned. "He's a Gryffindor, too."

"That I could not forget," Eleanor said, chuckling. "Oh, how upset Walburga was when he didn't get Sorted into Slytherin! I heard about that one for _weeks_ – the first Black to not be in Slytherin. Such a shock to everyone, I imagine."

"Yeah," Cassie said again, returning her attention to her present and suddenly feeling uncomfortable as she recalled how Sirius had told her how his mother had threatened to disown him and blast him off of his family's tapestry for not being a true Black.

There were a few minutes of silence where Cassie continued to open presents, exclaiming and expressing gratitude when she had to while Eleanor watched on, sipping from her tea slowly until Cassie's pile had dwindled to only two more parcels.

The smaller gift turned out to be a bottle of expensive French perfume, and when Cassie tested it out, she immediately swore to pawn it off to one of the girls when they returned to school, though she smiled and thanked her mother all the same. The last gift was from Eleanor, as well, and when she opened it, she couldn't help but to squeal in delight.

"You remembered!" she cried, pulling the cream-colored leather jacket out of its box and hugging it to her chest, beaming at her mother. "I can't believe you got it!"

Eleanor laughed, waving a dismissive hand. "It was too hard to pass up," she said. "Just don't let your father know I bought it for you." A shadow seemed to pass over Eleanor's face when she said this last part, and Cassie opened her mouth, about to ask what was wrong, before she was interrupted by Liddy returning to the drawing room.

"Forgive me, Mistresses," the elderly house-elf said, bowing her floppy-eared head again. "There is a Floo call for you, Mistress Eleanor; it is from Master Alderfair."

At this, Eleanor got to her feet, smoothing out her robes and turning to look at Cassie. "Take your things upstairs, dear," she said, "and start getting ready for tonight. I want to be punctual for the Blacks."

Cassie nodded as Eleanor swept off to the study, presumably to take the call, and she tried not to wonder what her father was calling about as she gathered up her small pile of gifts and made for the stairs. Her foot had just touched the bottom step when she heard Liddy's squeaky voice behind her, and she turned to see the tiny house-elf lugging a large parcel toward her.

"What's this, Liddy?" Cassie said, bemused as the elf came to a stop before her, panting and arms shaking from the strain of holding such a heavy object. Cassie dropped her other presents and took the package from Liddy, startled by how heavy and solid it was. "Good Godric, what's in here?"

"I do not know, Mistress," Liddy wheezed, rubbing her small arms. "I was only instructed to give it to you when you were alone by Master William."

Cassie abruptly stopped her investigation of the parcel, looking down to Liddy with a scowl.

"I don't want it," she said, holding it back out to her. "Take it away. Burn it. Throw it in the bin with all the other rubbish – just do something. I'm not taking it."

"I-I'm sorry, Mistress," Liddy said, wringing her hands anxiously as she beseeched Cassie with her large brown eyes. "Master William told me that I had to give it to you – if I didn't, then he instructed me to close my ears in the oven door."

"Bastard!" Cassie exclaimed, outraged. "Liddy, listen to me: you are not going to hurt yourself, you hear? I'll take the stupid present; just please don't do anything harmful, all right?"

"Yes, Mistress," Liddy said, bowing low and looking relieved. "Happy Christmas, Mistress."

And with that, the house-elf scampered off, and Cassie heaved a great sigh, looking back down to the parcel in her hands with a frown. It was wrapped in some sort of crinkly parchment paper, secured with a thick brown string, and rectangular in appearance. If she had to guess, she would say it was some sort of book, and the thought only made her frown deepen – why would Will give her a bloody book? And why would he instruct Liddy to give it to her when she was alone, and threaten her if she didn't?

Suspicious but curious, Cassie continued upstairs before retreating to her bedroom and dumping her gifts at the foot of her bed, only keeping Will's parcel in her hands as she sat on the mattress and stared down at it in her lap, debating whether she wanted to open it or not.

A part of her was extremely tempted to take a match to it right then, but that same nagging feeling that she got whenever she thought about Professor Carlisle and Avery and the locket returned to her, and she resigned herself to at least look at it while her fingers began tearing away the wrappings on it.

When she was done, she was left with a large book in her lap, as she had guessed, but it looked ancient; the cover was leather and worn, perhaps a rich brown at some point, but now faded into a dusty sort of beige, the embossed lettering all but invisible. She opened the cover and was immediately hit with a musty smell, and the pages were thick yet brittle to her touch, and she held them carefully as she flipped through the first few before finding the title, thankfully readable:

 **Alorfæger**

 _Sylfum Þæt frumcynn and cynnreccennes sylfum se Alorfæger ræw_

 _On second thought,_ Cassie thought as she stared at the Old English words, _maybe not._

"Need a translation on that?"

Cassie started when she heard Will's voice, and she slammed the book shut with a snap, sliding it off of her lap as she got to her feet, fingers reflexively moving toward her wand.

"How can I make myself any clearer when I say that I don't want you near me?" she growled, glaring at her brother as he perched himself in her doorframe once again, perpetual smirk in place. "Get. Out."

Will just wrinkled his nose at her, unfazed. "Rude," he sniffed, before gesturing to the book lying on her bed. "Is this the kind of thanks I get for my gift?"

"When you insist on giving me rubbish, then yes," she retorted, giving him a dry look, and he rolled his eyes.

"Apologies, princess," he said. "Remind me to get you a castle next time."

"Don't call me that," she snapped, marching over to him and pushing him off of her threshold while he just chuckled, pushing his overlong hair out of his eyes.

"Sorry," he said, smirking. "I forgot that I'm not precious Sirius. Only he and his scum mates are allowed to call you that, right?"

Cassie froze, looking hard into her brother's face as realization dawned on her.

"You're having me followed, aren't you?" she accused, searching his face and finding no signs of remorse. "At school, and maybe even elsewhere that only Merlin knows about?"

"There's eyes and ears everywhere, sister," he said lowly, and she couldn't help but swallow at his intense gaze. "They aren't necessarily mine, either, so I suggest you start being a little more careful when you go back to Hogwarts."

"Why are you even here?" she asked, if only to avoid the pit of ice she could feel growing in her gut. "I thought you were with Father at the Ministry again?"

"I was," he said casually, leaning against the wall opposite her and shoving his hands into his pockets. "Got bored, so I came back."

"Fascinating," she said flatly. "Now go away; I have to start getting ready for this stupid dinner party and figure out how I'm going to spend an entire evening pretending to like you."

"Don't worry about that, little sister," he said, shrugging at her look. "I'm not going."

"Thank Merlin," she said, rolling her eyes. "At least I know he's answering _some_ of my prayers."

And with that, she turned and shut the door in his gobsmacked face.

* * *

Cold air immediately stung Cassie's face when she was released from the clutches of her father's Side-Along Apparition, and she sucked in a sharp breath, feeling it stab at her lungs as her parents tumbled into existence next to her.

"Goodness," Eleanor said, sweeping her perfect hair over her shoulders and dabbing at her flawless makeup. "I forgot how much Apparition takes out of you!"

"I never understood how Orion could stand to live in such a place," Lukas said, casting a disdainful look at the Muggle neighborhood they had emerged in, and Cassie had to agree slightly; for all the pureblood ideology the Black family was renowned for touting, one would think that their house would be established in a predominantly wizarding village, but that obviously wasn't the case, and she made a silent note to ask Sirius about it as Lukas gestured for them to follow him.

They came upon a short black iron gate and passed through, the metal squeaking on its hinges as they trekked up a short drive that stopped in between two dreary-looking buildings, one marked with the number eleven, and the next one over marked with a thirteen. Confused, Cassie blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't just seeing things, and in the next second another building had sprung up between the two, this one visibly marked with the number twelve.

The building didn't look any different than the others, but as the Alderfairs gathered on the front stoop, Cassie could feel the magic radiating from it, and she guessed that the Blacks had put extremely strong anti-Muggle wards on the place as Lukas reached up and knocked three times on the door using the ugly gargoyle knocker that leered out at them.

They waited only briefly until the front door opened, revealing perhaps one of the ugliest house-elfs she had ever seen. It was old and gnarled-looking, with a foul temperament and tufts of hair growing out of its large ears, and it was dressed in a simple cloth that resembled something like a pillowcase, tied in a fashion that reminded her of an ancient Greek toga.

"Welcome to the most Noble and Ancient House of Black," the house-elf croaked, bowing so low that his overlong nose brushed the fine carpet beneath him. "Right this way, Master and Mistresses."

Lukas stepped inside, closely followed by Eleanor and Cassie, and they all removed their cloaks as the house-elf shut the door behind them before returning and taking their garments with another bow.

"Follow me, please," the house-elf rasped, before shuffling down a long and narrow hall with the Alderfairs in tow. He suddenly took a sharp left and led them into a low-ceilinged but grand room, with an intimidating fireplace taking up much of the wall space and large moving oil portraits of various witches and wizards dominating the rest. A large sofa that looked highly uncomfortable sat before the fireplace, along with a fine oak table, a divan, and two high-backed chairs, all made of the same emerald colored velvet.

"Ah, there they are," a woman's voice said, and Cassie's attention was drawn to one of the armchairs facing the fire. "Now, attend to dinner, Kreacher."

With a groveling bow and a string of compliments, the house-elf backed out of the room, leaving the three Alderfairs standing facing the four members of the Black family.

Almost subconsciously, Cassie's eyes sought Sirius first, and some of the anxiety she had been feeling lessened a little as he shot her his signature smirk from where he was seated on the sofa. He looked the same as ever, with his finely tousled black hair and aristocratic features, but she could see the layer of strain in his silvery eyes when he looked at her. She raised a pointed brow at his appearance, as well; gone were the ripped jeans and leather jacket he was always so keen on wearing, only to be replaced with a rich set of black robes, embroidered with silver thread, and she couldn't help but to crack a smile at how uncharacteristically formal he looked.

Seeing her grin, he rolled his eyes, then gestured to her own attire as if to say: _and what about you?_ She fought the urge to stick her tongue out at him, instead only shaking her head slightly before moving her gaze away lest she was reprimanded.

Across from Sirius was Regulus, stiff and silent as a board where he sat on the divan, arms crossed and glowering darkly in every direction besides his brother's. He spared Cassie only a quick glance before his scowl deepened and he looked into the fireplace, but she had no time to ponder the youngest Black's behavior before Orion and Walburga were upon them.

It was easy to see which features Sirius had inherited from his parents as Cassie studied them, taken aback by just how good-looking each of them were. Orion was still very attractive at his age, with the same thick, silky dark hair Sirius possessed, though there were quite a few grey hairs mixed in, as well. His eyes were deep-set and dark in his face, his olive skin seeming to glow faintly in the dim light, and his beard was short and well-kempt. He approached her father with a lazy sort of smile that reminded her of a cat, easily towering over the shorter and slighter man as he grasped Lukas's hand tightly and gave it a firm shake.

"Lukas," he greeted, his voice very soft and low, much different from how Cassie expected such a large man to sound. "A pleasure, as always. I hope you had no trouble getting here?"

"We Apparated," Lukas responded, sharing a stiff smile of his own. "I think the only trouble now is our appetites."

The adults all tittered at this, and that was when Walburga spoke up, after having greeted Eleanor by kissing both of her cheeks lightly.

"Well, you certainly came at the right time," Sirius's mother said. "We should be eating within the hour."

Cassie found herself staring at the other woman, taken aback by her appearance as she studied her. After everything Sirius had told her about his mother, she had expected Mrs. Black to be something of a hag: old and skinny, with swarthy green skin and a bunch of warts to go along with such a distasteful personality. But this version of Mrs. Black was young and elegant, with shiny black hair pulled back into a bun, skin as white and smooth as cream, and the same noble look as the rest of the Blacks. The only resemblance Cassie could see between her and Sirius, however, were the eyes, for they were the exact same shade of light grey as her eldest son's.

Despite her decidedly not-haggish appearance, the woman still intimidated Cassie, and it wasn't hard to figure out why – she radiated cold. She was like an ancient statue brought to life; everything about her was stiff and stony, from the way she stood to her tight smile, and her eyes were flat, almost completely lifeless, and Cassie began to wonder if she had been wrong to be skeptical of Sirius whenever he said that his mother had no soul.

"Dear Merlin, is this Cassiopeia?" Walburga said, sounding dreadfully bored as her eyes raked Cassie over like a snake. She came forward and grasped her by the elbows, looking her up and down almost hungrily as a smile stretched her pale lips. "My, I haven't seen you since you were a child, my sweet."

She reached up and placed her icy fingers on her chin, swiveling her head this way and that as to get a better look at her.

"Such beauty," she murmured. "You look just like your mother."

"Th-thank you," Cassie stammered, unnerved by her touch. "It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Black."

"No need for such formalities, dear," she said, finally stepping back and giving an approving nod to Eleanor, as if she were satisfied with Cassie's appearance. "You may call me Walburga."

Cassie nodded jerkily, not knowing what else to say, but Walburga continued on, now speaking to Eleanor.

"You must find her a husband soon, Eleanor," she said seriously, casting Cassie another appreciative glance. "Beauty like that should not be left to go to waste."

Cassie blanched at this, catching Sirius's eye and experiencing the same disgust that flashed across his face as he glared at his mother's back. Regulus seemed to mutter something behind them, and Sirius turned on his brother, whispering something harsh that made the younger boy's teeth clench.

"Of course," Eleanor replied, and Cassie was relieved to see that her mother seemed to be just as thrown by the statement as she was. "I'm sure once Cassie finishes school the subject will be broached."

Walburga frowned at this. "Shouldn't you be starting now? I remember the day I turned sixteen I was already betrothed to Orion."

"We will be discussing our options soon," Lukas interjected, and his expression told Cassie that those options were practically nonexistent, as he probably didn't think any man would want to marry her. "Ah, is that young Sirius and Regulus I see sitting there?"

At the sound of their names, both boys got to their feet, but Sirius came forward first, holding out his hand to her father.

"It is, sir," he said smoothly, and Cassie suppressed a smirk; for all of his rebel ways, Sirius Black was still a pureblood at heart, and she couldn't help but to admire his charm as he greeted her father and stooped to kiss her mother's hand, Eleanor tittering and complimenting his manners the whole time.

"Cassie," he said, when he came to a stop before her and grabbed her hand. "A pleasure, as always." He bent low and kissed the back of her hand, and she internally cursed when she felt her cheeks flare, and she knew he was trying to embarrass her on purpose. He straightened, giving her a dazzling smile that she recognized the Marauder in. "Is it acceptable to mention how stunning you look tonight?"

"Of course," she replied coolly, regaining her wits and shooting him a haughty smirk. _Two can play at this game, Black._ "You clean up nicely yourself, Sirius. I've forgotten how handsome you can be when you want."

He shot her his own smirk, and Cassie felt her heart quicken at the action, realizing just then how lonely she had been without his or the other Marauders' presence.

"Walburga, dear, I'm shocked!" Eleanor said, placing a hand over her heart and casting Sirius one of her blinding smiles. "The last time I was here you made no mention of how charming young Sirius was!"

Walburga smiled at the other woman, though it looked like she was swallowing glass. "Yes, well, I always thought Sirius's manners could always use some improvement, especially in light of Regulus's."

Cassie winced at the clear tone of disdain in Walburga's voice, something Eleanor didn't seem to pick up on as she turned to greet the younger Black warmly. She looked to Sirius to gauge his reaction, but other than the slight tightening of his jaw, he didn't seem fazed by the remark, which only made her feel worse.

"Cassie." She blinked and turned to see Regulus standing before her, already having exchanged pleasantries with her parents, and she nodded to him warily, wondering which side of him she was going to see tonight; the irritatingly vague helper who had warned her of Carlisle, or the aggressive, moody teenager he seemed to turn into whenever Sirius was mentioned. She was taken aback, however, when he only gave her a respectful nod, brushing a chaste kiss across her knuckles before practically dropping her hand, his face unreadable.

"Regulus," she said carefully. "A pleasure to see you again."

"The pleasure is all mine," he said neutrally, and she heard Sirius give a light scoff from next to her. "If I may?"

It took her a second to realize that he was holding out his arm to her as the adults began making their way to the dining room, and she stared, unsure of what to do before Sirius snorted and looped his own arm through hers.

"Nice try, Reg," he said, raising an eyebrow to his brother, and Regulus scowled.

"Oh, enough, both of you," Cassie snapped, tugging her arm out of Sirius's grasp and glaring at them both, not having enough patience for this tonight. "I'm not in the mood to be caught in the middle of whatever pissing match you two are having with each other, so if you'll excuse me."

She huffed and sauntered out of the room, leaving the two brothers in her wake as they stared after her incredulously.

"Well," Regulus said, after a heartbeat of silence. "I'm glad she's yours, then."

He clapped Sirius on the shoulder, smirking at the dark look his brother cast him before seeming to remember that they were in a row and stepping away quickly, his face becoming expressionless once more as he followed Cassie out of the room.

"She's _not_ mine," Sirius muttered irritably under his breath, before steeling himself for the long night ahead and trudging after them.

* * *

The dinner had been going well, up until the pie was served and things began to go south, much like Cassie had predicted they would. After all talk of school and work and politics had been exhausted, the conversation took a turn for the worse.

"So, what is young William up to now that his name has been cleared?" Walburga asked, taking a sip from her elf-wine while Kreacher served them dessert with low bows. "How ghastly that whole ordeal must have been for him."

Cassie's grip on her fork slipped at the question, the utensil clattering loudly on her porcelain plate, though Sirius seemed to be the only one who noticed, and she suddenly felt his hand on her knee from where he was sat next to her, warm and solid and reminding her of his presence, though that did little to ease her tension.

"Yes, how…unsavory," Orion said, almost carelessly as he leaned back in his chair and swished his wine around in his goblet, though his dark eyes never left Lukas's face. "And you said this Auror delivered a false account based on a minor incident in the past?"

"Indeed," Lukas said, setting down his fork and clearing his throat. "A low-level trial that he did not approve the outcome of, as I was the deciding vote in the matter." Cassie's father suddenly smiled ruefully, as if he were enjoying some private joke. "He confessed to his erroneous account, however, and he is resigning his post in acquiescence, so the matter is dealt with."

"Honestly, Lukas, I would have been proud of the boy," Walburga said, reaching for her goblet with a smile as stony as cold marble. "Those filthy Muggles probably deserved to be roughed up a bit!"

"And you'd have done it yourself if you weren't afraid of getting your hands dirty," Sirius muttered from beside her, and Cassie gave him a warning look that he ignored; though after seeing the look in his mother's frightening gaze, she couldn't help but to agree with him silently.

"William is too smart to be caught up in petty Muggle squabbles," Lukas said, sniffing. "He has his own errands to complete under the Dark Lord's orders."

The dining room suddenly took on a stifling hush, and Cassie could sense the anticipation in the air as Walburga leaned forward in her seat, her harsh gaze fixed upon her father as her bony fingers curled on the expensive tablecloth.

"And what of the Dark Lord's campaign?" she asked, her voice almost husky, and Cassie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the clear tone of breathless curiosity in the other woman's tone. "Everything seems to be hushed up after his declaration; is he biding his time? What does he plan to do when he gains enough followers?"

"That I am unsure of," Lukas said, shrugging, and something passed over Walburga's face before it was gone in a heartbeat. "William cannot disclose that type of information to me, for reasons you must understand."

"Of course," Walburga nodded stiffly. "I understand."

Lukas sighed, leaning back in his seat and lacing his fingers together over his stomach before saying, "All William has told me is that the Dark Lord is in search of something; an object with great value that William has been assigned to find."

"What sort of object?" Orion asked, swallowing his wine in one gulp and raising a brow.

"That I do not know," Lukas said, "but I suspect it is something powerful."

Walburga looked thoughtful. "Whatever it is, I am sure the Dark Lord knows what he is doing with it," she said. "After all, the man is a revolutionary! Mark my words, this world will have taken on a new order by the time he's finished with it. And we, my friends, will be standing on the winning side of history once more."

"Hear, hear," Orion said blandly, raising his goblet before draining the rest of it quickly.

Cassie glanced around the table, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. How could these people accept what was happening, and even worse – how could they relish in the fact that innocents were being harassed and tortured, even killed? The only people who didn't look thrilled by Walburga's proclamation were her and Sirius; even Regulus looked ashen, though she wasn't sure if that was just his complexion in the dim lighting. She cast a quick look to her mother, who had not spoken during the entirety of the discussion, but Eleanor's face was carefully blank, her eyes downcast.

 _Everything about this is so wrong,_ Cassie thought. _So, so wrong._

She thought about Lily, and what Sirius's parents might think of her, along with her father; they'd call her a Mudblood, and her family worse. They wouldn't even care if Lily was magical; all they'd see in her was a Muggle-born, and they would probably feel no remorse if Lily and her family were tortured by Death Eaters. They wouldn't feel anything.

"Sirius," Cassie whispered, suddenly feeling very faint. She felt his hand slide into her own under the table, and she wrapped her fingers tightly around him, feeling his rapid pulse as her nails dug into the skin near his wrist. She could feel herself shaking, as well, though she wondered if there was a slight tremor in Sirius's hand, as well.

"If we may be excused?" Sirius said loudly, cutting into the adult's conversation, and they faltered and turned to the boy questioningly. "I think Cassie's had a bit too much wine this evening."

He pinched her knuckle as he said it, which was quite unnecessary, as she had already been nodding.

"Yes, I-I just need some air," she said, taking care to avoid eye contact with anyone. "Thank you for the dinner, it was wonderful."

She didn't hear any words spoken, but out of her peripheral she saw Orion flick his hand, and Sirius was suddenly standing up, dragging her out of her seat with him. They made their way out of the dining room, Sirius's hand still griped tightly around hers, and she suddenly found herself being pulled along, down the hallway and up a flight of stairs, hardly even taking notice of the stuffed house-elf heads decorating the wall. He led her up several more flights of stairs before finally coming to the topmost landing and pausing outside of a door that bore his name on a plaque.

He opened the door and stepped inside, with her following behind more slowly, suddenly finding herself in Sirius Black's bedroom as he released her hand and closed the door behind them, muttering " _Colloportus"_ and _"Muffliato."_ She heard the lock click and then a thick sort of silence fell over them, and she guessed he had cast a Silencing Charm as she took stock of her surroundings.

It was a spacious room, with a large bed decorated with a carved headboard, velvet curtains shut tightly over the windows, and a dripping candle chandelier above them. What little wall space that wasn't covered with Muggle posters like the ones in his dormitory or Gryffindor banners boasted a nice coat of burgundy paint, which matched the fine oak of his furniture, and she felt her lips quirk in a grin when she noticed the tall bookshelf filled completely with books.

"Er, ignore the posters," he said hastily, mistaking where she was looking and discreetly trying to step in front of a very provocative picture depicting a bikini-clad Muggle girl. "I do it just to piss off my mother; even put Permanent Sticking Charms on all of them."

"It's fine," she said, settling herself down carefully atop his bed and running her fingers over the thick velvet duvet. "I think it's very…you."

He gave her a hesitant smile, before his eyes became serious once more and he plopped himself next to her on the bed.

"Cassie…I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head so his dark hair fell into his eyes. "You shouldn't have had to hear that. My parents—"

"Have a right to their opinion," she interrupted, frowning. "As much as I hate to say it, this is their home, and that's what they believe. There's nothing we can do about it."

"I don't want you to think that I'm like them," he said quietly, speaking to his knees, and she blinked, shocked.

"Why would I think that?" she asked incredulously. "Sirius, I know you're nothing like them."

"How do you know?" he asked, almost desperately, and she stared as he looked to her, something like fear in his grey eyes. "How do you know I'm not one of them?"

"Because you're…you," she said haltingly, pausing when she realized how stupid that was. "I mean, you're a Gryffindor, and you're not blinded by whatever pureblood tosh is fed to us when we're kids. You hang out with people like Remus and Peter, even though they're not pureblood—"

She broke off when he dropped his head, staring at his knees again, and she bit her lip, reaching out a hesitant hand and putting it on his shoulder.

"Sirius," she said quietly. "You're not like them, I swear it." She paused again, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Before I knew you and the others, I thought the same as the other half of the school who weren't completely obsessed with you lot; that you were loud, and obnoxious, and rude, and would hex anyone who even looked at you the wrong way. I thought you were a bully, and a troublemaker, and were far too arrogant for your own good."

She hesitated, suddenly embarrassed, but she knew she had to say this; if not for Sirius's sake, then her own, for it was the truth, she realized.

"But getting to know you has changed everything. You still have your prick moments, yeah, but Sirius… you're one of the greatest people I've ever known. You would do anything for James and Remus and Peter, and I know they love you just as much as you love them, even if you don't believe it at times." She smiled softly. "You would die for the ones you love, and you inspire that same loyalty in others. You're recklessly brave, brutally honest, and annoyingly smart, yet…you're one of my best friends. And please believe me when I say that you're not like your family, and that your heart is in the right place. Please."

She fell silent, not knowing what else to say, and they didn't move nor speak for a long while, until finally Sirius heaved a shaky breath.

"Thank you," he said quietly, turning his head toward her but not quite meeting her eyes. "You're, um, important to me too, Cassie."

She gave him a tiny smile, shifting on the bed a little bit so he'd have more room, not noticing the way his fingers reached in her direction for a second before dropping back to his side.

"So, You-Know-Who has tasked Will with finding an object," he said after a few more moments, and Cassie nodded slowly, her mind leading in that same direction. "What d'you reckon it is?"

"I dunno," she said, biting her lip. "But I might have a theory."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Oh? Please share."

"Carlisle," she said simply, meeting his eyes. "She's looking for something, too; she has maps and diagrams, I saw them. What if they're connected?"

"Are you suggesting that Carlisle is a Death Eater?" he asked incredulously. "I mean, I definitely agree that she has a stick up her arse, but I don't think she's actually evil enough to be one."

"Then what is she looking for?" she pressed. "And why do so many Slytherins seem to know about it? Sloane, Avery, your brother—"

"Hold on," Sirius said, staring at her. "You think my _brother_ has something to do with this?"

"I-I'm not sure," she stammered, somewhat quelled by the look of mingled fury and confusion on his face. "But he's been warning me about Carlisle, Sirius. There has to be something there."

"I don't want to believe you," he said, his jaw working, "but I think I might have to. He's been warning me of things, too."

She opened her mouth, about to ask what, but he cut her off. "Have you told anyone else about all of this?"

She shook her head. "Only James. He's trying to help me get to the bottom of this."

Sirius scowled at the floor, his face thoughtful. "So, let me get this straight; you and James think Carlisle is plotting something, possibly Death Eater related, and is working with select Slytherin students to see it done?" She nodded. "And your brother is hunting something that the Dark Lord wants?" She nodded again. "And you and Remus also think that the locket he gave you contains some sort of hidden message?" She nodded a third time, and he blew his cheeks out, slapping his hands on his knees. "Well, princess, you sure know how to make a great big mess of things, don't you?"

"Hey!" she objected. "It's not like I'm asking for any of this to happen!"

He chuckled at her outraged expression. "I know, I know. I was just joking."

She rolled her eyes, and he chuckled again before she turned to him once more in all seriousness.

"What do we do, Sirius?" she asked, searching his eyes as if he could give her some sort of clarity in the midst of all this mystery. "It all has to add up somehow; we just need to find out how."

"I think we have to go back to square one," he said slowly, and she furrowed her brows, confused. He looked back to her steadily, though, and she suddenly felt a lot more confident when she met his gaze. "I think we finally need to figure out what Carlisle is hiding in her office."

* * *

The moon was shrouded by dark clouds later that night as Cassie trudged after her parents along the stone walkway leading to the manor, drawing her cloak tightly about herself as the wind whipped sharp and cold around them. The family was silent as they approached their home, though through the darkness, she could still see many lights burning throughout the house, shining out to them like harsh golden beacons.

She shivered in the night air, wanting nothing more than to take a hot bath and curl up in her bed, ready to fall into a deep sleep after the long night at Grimmauld Place.

They climbed the steps leading up to the front door, Lukas extracting his wand to open them, but before he could even get it out of his pocket, the wide doors had already swung open, revealing Will standing in the threshold and smiling warmly at them.

"Ah, Mother, Father, sister," he said. "Welcome home. I was just telling everyone that you should be here at any second."

Cassie stiffened at this, and her eyes darted to her father, though Lukas seemed just as taken aback as she was, as was Eleanor.

"Who is 'everyone?'" Lukas said slowly.

"You'll see," Will replied, his eyes sliding to Cassie, and she suddenly felt much colder as he ushered them inside, instructing them to follow him to the parlor where she had opened gifts just that morning.

Only instead of an empty room, it was now quite filled with over a dozen people, many of them, she noticed, around Will's age or a few years older. She felt the heavy weight of their scrutinizing eyes upon her as she entered with her family, and she had the strange notion that she knew some of them, as her eyes snagged on quite a few familiar faces.

 _"The man is a revolutionary,"_ she could hear Walburga saying, and she suddenly began to tack on and fit the pieces together, her blood chilling.

A revolutionary. The people around her. Rebels. Soldiers. Death Eaters.

And the one who led them all…

"It is my extreme pleasure to introduce you to a very important man," Will said, sweeping his hand toward the fireplace, and the people around them seemed to part as if on some unspoken command.

Cassie's eyes sought the figure silhouetted against the hearth, and in a second, red eyes had flickered to her, locking her in place as Will smiled.

"This is Lord Voldemort."

* * *

 **Please review! It would really help me get back in the swing of things to know what you all think!**

 **And thus, a plan is finally set in motion, if Cassie can survive an evening with the Dark Lord...**

 **Next Chapter:** _ **The Visitor**_

 **xx**


	22. The Visitor

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Y'all totally blew me away last chapter. I mean, 19 reviews?! That just beat the record for most-reviewed chapter so far!**

 **Thank you of course for all the new favorites/follows, and THANK YOU REVIEWERS: Les Spring Hamilton, enje, DarlingPeterPan, heroherondaletotherescue, Wynter Phoenix, lizyeh2000, AllThingWeird35, Raven that flies at night, dreadedlocket, wickedgrl123, TheBecksterr, FriendlyNeighborhoodHufflepuff, MulishaMaiden, FangirlForEternity, Choco-Latte64, Aaesha Serena Black, allicat13, RedRoses130, and madhatter47!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Visitor

The man with the red eyes smiled at them, a serpent believing itself to be charming when it just came off as hungry, and Cassie felt her knees knock together at the expression, her whole body going numb.

Lord Voldemort was in her home – no, _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named._ The Dark Lord. Standing in front of her fireplace, hands clasped behind his back and looking as if he were the true owner of Alderfair Manor.

"Please." Cassie shivered when he spoke, his voice high and cold to her ears, like the biting wind that struck at you if you were standing on the peak of a very tall mountain, waiting for it to rip you from the top and throw you back to the ground. He gestured with a very pale hand to everyone in the room. "Sit."

The assembled Death Eaters and Alderfairs sank into seats around the room, angling themselves so they could see the Dark Lord from where he still stood in front of the hearth. Cassie nearly collapsed onto the small sofa with her father and mother, her heart pounding. Her hands were trembling, and she shoved them between her knees to hide them, her throat feeling parched as she took in the people around her, looking everywhere but to the fire.

Directly across from her sat a young couple, their hands entwined and their platinum hair gleaming in the light of the room. She recognized the man, who was only a few years older than Will, as Lucius Malfoy, who had been a fifth year and a Prefect when Cassie had first started Hogwarts, and she had been terrified of him her first three years of school, for his status of being the strictest and most power-hungry Prefect had made him reputable amongst all the Houses. A delicate woman sat next to him, and though Cassie didn't remember seeing her at Hogwarts at all, her features were distinctly familiar, yet she couldn't quite place them on her face.

Her eyes traveled next to another man and woman, the man displaying a narrow face and pointed chin, and there was a gleam of something in his black eyes that made her look away hastily, her stomach churning. The woman next to him seemed to be made of darkness: wild black curls piled messily around her head and shoulders, and heavy-lidded eyes that seemed able to penetrate even the deepest of shadows. She was terrifying, to say the least, and there was an aura of smug arrogance that seemed to roll off her like waves, and Cassie started when she realized that her demeanor remarkably resembled that of the Blacks, meaning that the woman had to be Bellatrix Black – or, Lestrange, if the man next to her was her husband, Rodolphus Lestrange.

The rest of the people gathered were younger adults, and though she had a nagging feeling that she knew some of them, she couldn't place their names or faces, or perhaps her fear was making her memory cloudy. They all bore the same disposition, however, one of arrogance, and eagerness, and a sort of blind loyalty that shone in their eyes as they gazed to the Dark Lord, their faces basked in the golden glow of the flames. They were his followers, and Will's comrades, she realized. Killers and torturers, their beliefs rooted in supremacy and elitism, and they were all sitting in her drawing room as if they had gathered for afternoon tea.

"Before we begin, I would like for us to extend our gratitude to the Alderfair family for allowing us to take residence in their home for the evening," You-Know-Who said, nodding to the three Alderfairs seated on the couch, and Cassie could feel everyone's eyes swiveling to them, murmurs of thanks passing around the room.

"As most of you may know, the Alderfair family has been around for generations," he continued, and Cassie kept her eyes trained on her feet, fighting off the urge to flee from the room. "Wealthy, esteemed, and not a drop of Muggle blood to taint the roots of their purity – an unfortunately rare condition in our society today."

A ripple of agreement swept through the crowd, and Cassie's eyes darted over to where Will was standing by the liquor cabinet in the room, swirling some amber liquid in a crystal goblet and his angular face thrown into deep contrast, shadowed and hollow in the firelight. He appeared not to be listening, but she could tell he was deep in thought, his mouth pulled into a frown as he mulled over his drink.

"Your young William has become an invaluable asset to the New Order." He was now speaking directly to her parents, and she sucked in a sharp breath, daring to look in his general direction, but focusing her eyes on some point over his shoulder. "Know that I am increasingly grateful for his service, and you should be proud."

Suddenly, those red eyes were upon her, she could feel them, like burning hot coals pressing into her skin, and she suppressed a shiver, keeping her eyes trained forward, unseeing.

"I have been so impressed with William's dedication that I now find myself curious to see if his sister is the same way," he mused, and Cassie felt Eleanor stiffen beside her. The Dark Lord's eyes finally left Cassie, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, he had flicked one of his pale hands. "Everyone, leave us. I wish to speak to young Miss Alderfair alone."

There was a soft rustle as the Death Eaters filed out silently, and Cassie sensed her father stand up, tugging on Eleanor's hand after the older woman made no move to join him. She wondered if her father was bothered by being ordered around in his own home, but if he was, he didn't show it, only looking to her mother expectantly. With some reluctance, Eleanor stood, but Cassie didn't dare meet her eyes, afraid that if she did, she would break, and all her fear would come pouring out. After a few tense seconds, Lukas and Eleanor exited the room, Will on their heels.

He stopped, just before leaving, and Cassie turned her head, meeting his eyes and wondering if he could see the simmering anger behind her own, the fury at his gall to even put her in a situation such as this. His expression was indecipherable, but there was something in his gaze that resembled fear and maybe even a hint of apology before he was gone, closing the door and trapping her with the Dark Lord.

The snap of the door seemed to wake her up, and she emerged from some sort of stupor, her mind clear and her survival instincts kicking in, causing her to sit up straighter and take a deep breath.

 _Control._ With some focus, she managed to quell the tremors in her hands, and she slid them back into place on her lap, palms flat and fingers entwined, the heat from her skin soaking through her robes and settling on her thighs. The action reminded her of Sirius's hand on her knee at dinner earlier, and the thought helped her some as she evened out her breathing.

 _Conceal._ The Alderfair mask came out of hiding when she summoned it, and she carefully schooled her features into a castle wall, impenetrable and formidable. Weakness, even the tiniest crack in her wall, could easily topple her reign and subject her to the wolves (or, in this case, the serpent in the room with her), and that was something she could not afford.

 _Contact._ This was the hardest part. The eyes were the gate to the secrets hiding in the garden, and if she wasn't careful, then the lock could simply be picked and she would be exposed. Steeling her spine, she forced herself to look up and into the red eyes of the serpent, fighting to keep her breath steady and her heart steadfast despite everything in her screaming for her to run.

She was now facing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named in his entirety, and she could tell he was sizing her up just as she was doing the same to him. She imagined he used to be handsome once, before he had corrupted himself with either Dark Magic or his own hand, seen in his thick black hair and pretentious features, perhaps charming at one point, but now marred into something else. She remembered stumbling upon an old book in her father's study several years ago, and though she had been too young to understand half the words, the pictures in it had been enough to frighten her for weeks with nightmares: detailed drawings showing witches and wizards with abhorrent, monstrous features, their afflictions all brought about by a use of abundant Dark Magic. Her father had walked in on her studying the drawings in rapt horror and had promptly thrown her out of the office, yelling the whole time, and though she had gone back in search of the book after the worst of her nightmares had subsided, she had never found it again, and now she wondered if the Dark Lord would ever grace those pages in the future.

His skin, which must once have been a fair ivory, now seemed sallow and too-pale, stretched like wax over his face and giving him a haunted, skeletal look. He was very tall, and very slender, and his black robes made him look like a bare tree, bleached with moonlight but still cloaked in shade. He may still have tried to pass off as an ordinary man, if it weren't for the eyes. Her first thought was that they looked like the startling crimson of blood, but that couldn't be it; blood was natural, an organic thing, and he was anything but. Dark Magic had twisted him to its will, and this was the product before her, staring at her with those unnatural eyes with slits for pupils and seeming to cut into her very flesh.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the flames, and she held her tongue, refusing to be the first one to speak. And what was she supposed to say anyway? _"Oh, hey. How's it going? Torture any Muggle-borns lately?"_

"You surprise me, Miss Alderfair," he finally said, and she started, his soft voice unexpected to her ears. Not knowing how to respond to that, she stayed silent and waited for him to continue, her back muscles beginning to twitch at how stiffly she was sitting.

He tilted his head, his eyes raking over her from head to toe. "You appear to be nothing like your brother. He is rash, bold, headstrong. You are the opposite: poised, graceful, observant. A young woman with a clear mind and a strong will. We could use more followers with the same attributes."

"So is that why I'm here speaking with you?" she asked, surprising herself with her directness. "Because you want to recruit me?"

He pursed his lips, and she noticed that they were so pale they were almost blue, adding more eeriness to his features. "Recruitment is not the word I would use."

She raised a brow. "Oh?"

"In order for a cause to be successful, it needs to have believers," he said. His wand suddenly appeared in his hands, and she had to refrain from shrinking back, keeping her expression neutral as he began to roll the dark wood between his fingers, appearing thoughtful. "Plucking people off the streets and telling them to believe in your cause is one thing, but that is too extreme. Those people are usually the ones who need to be coerced into believing, and then they are not true. But the enlightened ones, the ones who have dreamt of the day when they would rise up and take back what is rightfully theirs – _they_ are the believers. And those are the ones who seek me out, the ones who wish to see their world as it should be. I accept them as comrades-in-arms, and in turn, they trust in me to lead them to the salvation of the wizarding world and all its purity."

"And what of your cause?" she said, lifting her chin a hair in challenge. "Why disrupt the order of the wizarding world now? Why harbor such hatred for Muggles and Muggle-borns?"

For a moment, she wondered if she had crossed some line, for he didn't speak, merely opting to gaze at her and leaving her to shift uncomfortably in her seat. But suddenly he was smirking, a wry grin that looked more like a grimace with his features.

"Perhaps I was wrong earlier," he said. "You are bold, as well; another true Gryffindor." He paused, glancing down to his wand again, and his next words caught her off-guard.

"Do you believe in immortality, Miss Alderfair?"

She blinked once. "Er…like the Elixir of Life?"

He nodded. "Something like that."

She hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I believe wizards have the capability to achieve it, yes – it would be nearly impossible, but Nicolas Flamel did it, right? But do I believe in the concept of it?" She shook her head, frowning. "Nothing lasts forever. There's a limit to everything, even magic."

"And what if I told you you're wrong?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly skeptical. "How so?"

"Alchemy is not the only solution," he said, eyes glinting in the gloom. "I have achieved things no other wizard would dare; I have pushed the limits of life farther than anyone else, but I will not stop there. My legacy will reign for eternity, and _that_ is my cause, Miss Alderfair. Everything else is simply there for the taking."

"Then the torturing of Muggles and mongering fear amongst wizards is just an extracurricular?" she said coldly, feeling her fingernails digging into her palms as she clenched her fists. "A fun little game for your followers to play while you daydream about some glorious fantasy?"

She tried to force herself to calm down, reminding herself that she was alone with the most dangerous person in the wizarding world at that moment, but she couldn't. This twisted excuse for a man was delusional, and she could barely stomach what she was hearing.

"Those filthy Muggles and Mudbloods are still a blight on our society," he replied, and if she thought her voice had been cold, his was downright chilling. "Even half-bloods are inferior to the untainted magic of purebloods, as I am sure you understand."

"I don't," she said, feeling herself begin to tremble again, but this time from anger. "Blood status doesn't determine who is better at magic or not. Pureblood families would have gone extinct centuries ago if they hadn't started to marry outside of other pureblood families. The past may have lauded purebloods, but they're merely a minority now. Killing off all the half-bloods and Muggle-borns won't do anything to change that."

The Dark Lord studied her for a long time, but she found that she didn't really care. This _monster_ was the one who had warped her brother into an entirely different person for his deranged ideology, and as much as she blamed Will, she blamed _him_ even more. He was a madman, simple as that.

"Interesting," he eventually said, as if he had reached some sort of conclusion. "Your brother made a very strong case against me attempting to persuade you, and I am surprised to realize that he was right; there is too much Gryffindor pride in you, the thrill of championing the underdog that makes you unsuitable as a Death Eater." He said this last part as if she were a particularly large and nasty slug he had found on the bottom of his shoe, and she felt a sort of vindictive satisfaction at this. "Therefore, you are of no further use to me."

He raised his wand and she froze, a cold feeling rushing over her as her eyes darted between his blank gaze and the tip of his wand pointed right at her heart, wondering if she even had time to get out her own wand in an attempt to defend herself before he suddenly sighed, lowering it again.

"Or perhaps not." He stowed away his wand, and she was suddenly very aware of her pounding heart and the sweat that had formed on her brow and upper lip, her whole body feeling flush but still also very cold. "You may still be of some use to me yet in the future."

He whisked back to the fireplace, standing before it and peering thoughtfully into the flames. A long moment of silence stretched between them, in which Cassie tried to regain her composure again, but her nerves were long since frayed, her mask chipped away by fear.

"You may leave," he said finally, not turning away from the fire, and she scrambled to her feet, her legs wobbly. "Send the others back in, and tell your parents they may join if they so wish."

She turned without a word, fighting not to break into a sprint to get away from him faster, but she halted when he spoke once more.

"And Miss Alderfair?" Despite her best interest, she looked back over her shoulder, only to find his eyes boring into her with the intensity of a curse. "I do trust you know what will happen to you should you breathe a word of this discussion to anyone – particularly Albus Dumbledore."

She nodded, her throat dry, and he waved a dismissive hand to her. "Until next we meet, Miss Alderfair."

And with that, she all but fled from the room.

* * *

Cassie flinched when a knock sounded on her bedroom door several minutes later, and she abandoned her half-filled trunk in favor of her wand, raising it and pointing it at the door as she called out a rusty, "Who's there?"

"Cassie, it's your mother," Eleanor's muffled voice came from the other side of the door. "May I come in?"

"Yes." She dropped her arm as the door clicked open, though she didn't relax, not even when Eleanor had crossed the room and swept her up into her embrace.

"Oh, Cassie," she said, sounding on the verge of tears. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea your brother—"

"Would bring a murdering psychopath into the house?" Cassie finished for her, and Eleanor seemed to deflate a bit in her arms. "Yeah, I didn't think he was capable of it, either."

Eleanor pulled away, her startlingly blue eyes wet, before they fell on the half-packed trunk sitting in the middle of the floor and the subsequent mess her room had become in her attempt to pack her belongings as quickly as she could. "Are you leaving?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I have friends I can stay with…" She trailed off, suddenly uncertain. Her first choice would have been Alice, but she didn't want to be a burden; the Fortescues weren't a particularly rich family, and Alice shared her house with not only her father and step-family, but also her aunt, uncle, and cousins, and Cassie wouldn't feel right if she imposed herself on their generosity for the rest of the holiday, even if it was for a little more than a week. Lily was out of the picture, too; she knew the red-haired witch's parents would be thrilled to see her again, but she also didn't want to add any more strain to Lily and her sister Petunia's relationship by having another openly magical person in the Evans household. She thought about Marlene, but instantly decided she didn't want to go there with a sharp pinch of guilt, though she tried to ignore it.

"I'll find somewhere," Cassie amended, shaking her head and tossing another shirt into her trunk. "I have some leftover birthday money; I can get a room at the Leaky Cauldron or something…"

Eleanor watched her sadly, but to her credit, she didn't seem angry at her, just worried.

Wordlessly, her mother began to help her pack, much to her surprise; she had expected an argument, a refusal to let her go, but instead they worked in silence, Cassie gathering all her things and Eleanor placing them neatly into her trunk, not even bothering to use magic.

After twenty minutes, her trunk was completely packed, and the two women sat on the bed, staring around at anywhere but each other, not quite ready to speak yet. But finally it was Cassie who broke the silence.

"You're not going to try and stop me?" she asked quietly, looking up to her mother, who faced her with a rueful smile on her face.

"No," she said. "I know you've been unhappy here, especially after everything that has happened with your brother." A shadow flickered over her beautiful features before it was gone. "And I just want you be happy."

Eleanor coughed slightly, and Cassie could tell her mother was trying hard to keep it together for her sake. She reached over and put her hand on top of her mother's, suddenly determined.

"Mum, come with me," she said. Eleanor's lips parted in shock, but Cassie rushed on before she could say anything. "I know you hate it here as much as I do." She lowered her voice, glancing towards the bedroom door. "I know you can't stand all the pureblood rubbish, and what the Death Eaters are doing – what _Will_ is doing." She squeezed her mother's hand, hard. "Please, come with me. We can leave it all behind, start over – I dunno. We can do _something."_

A tear slipped down Eleanor's cheek, quickly followed by another as she smiled lovingly to her daughter. "I love you, Cassie," she said, taking her daughter's face into her hands and seeming to drink in every detail she could find. "I love you, but I also love your father and brother. My place is here, as much as I'd love to be with you."

Cassie felt her heart sink, but Eleanor swiped at a tear she hadn't realized was falling, her touch a balm to the sore she could feel rubbing on her heart.

"You have always been so brave," Eleanor whispered. "So brave and so loving. I used to be afraid of what you would grow up to be, as stubborn and free-spirited as you were when you were young. I was relieved when you went to Hogwarts and I heard nothing from your professors about your behavior, but I also knew that that "invisible girl", or whatever you called yourself, wasn't really you."

She paused, running her thumbs over her cheekbones and contemplating her next words, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Earlier, at the Blacks… I saw a side of you I hadn't seen in a long time, not since you were a child. That free spirit was back, that same light in your eyes you used to have before you were taught how to repress it, and I blame myself for teaching you that. I don't know what caused it to come back, but I was overjoyed to see it. And I want you to carry that light from now on, even if it means you can't stay here." She smiled softly. "That light is yours, Cassie. Don't ever let anything take that away from you."

Cassie nodded, beginning to cry silently as she wrapped her arms around her mother and buried her head in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her vanilla perfume and clutching onto this feeling, even if it was a bittersweet potion she was being forced to swallow.

"I love you, Mum," she managed, and Eleanor stroked her hair, nodding. "I know, sweetie, I know. I love you, too."

After several minutes, but what still felt far too soon for for, they pulled apart, Cassie scrubbing at her face and Eleanor dabbing at her eyes before they stood, facing each other once more.

Cassie grabbed the leather jacket Eleanor had given her earlier that day before shrugging it on, having already shucked off the robes she had been wearing previously and now dressed in plain Muggle attire once again. She pocketed her wand before looking around her room one last time, Eleanor waiting patiently by the foot of her bed.

"Have you decided where to go?" she asked, and Cassie frowned, still not having thought of a solution to that particular dilemma. Her mind drifted to Remus, but then remembered Sirius mentioning something earlier to her about how they were all going to James's house for the remainder of the holidays…

"I have an idea," she said. "Er, do you still remember the Potter's address by any chance?"

Eleanor nodded, seemingly perplexed by the question, though she didn't say anything about it. "They own a country estate down in Devon. I'm sure Euphemia wouldn't mind; she met you several times when you were still just a baby and she positively adored you." She raised a quizzical brow. "They have a son, don't they?"

"Yeah, his name's James," she replied. "We're, uh, friends, I guess. And his mates, too."

"Sirius included?" Cassie nodded, and Eleanor's brow inched higher. "Hm. Interesting."

"Don't get any ideas, we're just friends," Cassie said hastily, and Eleanor pursed her lips. _"Mum."_

"All right, all right, no more ideas," she said, fighting to keep the smile from her face. "It's just that you've never had any _boy_ friends before—"

 _"Mum!"_

"It's a mother's duty to question these things!" she argued, but she was beaming at her daughter. "But if you insist…"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Thank you."

She picked up Osbourne's cage from where it sat by the window, and the dozing owl started awake when he was jostled, letting out a sleepy hoot before tucking his head back under his wing. "Er, how should I get there?"

Eleanor frowned, thinking. "I never mastered Side-Along Apparition over great distances, so if you'd rather get splinched—"

Cassie shuddered. "No, thanks. I'm good."

"Your father has sealed off his study for the night, so we can't use Floo powder—"

"Good to see how much he trusts those Death Eaters."

"I think you'd be better off taking the Knight Bus. It's not as fast as Apparition or Floo, but you'd still get there by morning."

Cassie made a face at this; she had never taken the Knight Bus before, but she'd heard accounts of it from various classmates, and she could only hope they had been exaggerating. Eleanor was right, though; it was her best option.

"Okay, I'll do that, then," she said, and Eleanor nodded. "I'll walk you to the edge of the property and we'll see if we can hail it down."

She pulled out her wand and gave it a wave, and Cassie's trunk and owl cage disappeared, now waiting for her at the bottom of the hill where the gate was. Eleanor took her hand and led her out of the room, Cassie casting one look back to it before she closed the door behind her and followed her mother.

The drawing room doors were shut when they walked past, and for that, she was glad. Even just thinking about You-Know-Who sent a shiver down her spine, and Eleanor squeezed her hand in reassurance as they ventured out into the dark night.

The air was bitingly cold, nipping at her exposed flesh, and a few frozen flakes fell from the sky, but other than that, it was nice out. Silence coated the world from up here, and only a few lights were still glowing in the cottages down below, the rest of the village asleep at such a late hour, and Cassie guessed it had to be at least two in the morning.

The two women weaved their way down the path, keeping up light-hearted conversation as they went, but Cassie could feel her heart growing heavier with each step, until finally falling silent when they had reached the gate.

Osbourne was awake now, glaring at her with his amber eyes from the indignity of being left out in the cold, but she ignored his poisonous look, turning back to her mother and embracing her again.

"Thank you," she whispered, and Eleanor patted her back soothingly before pulling away and kissing her lightly on both cheeks, her lips cold to the touch.

"I'm always here for you, my love," she said. "Hopefully we can be back together when summer starts."

Cassie nodded, her throat suddenly too tight to say anything, but Eleanor just smiled. "Remember to stick your wand out so the bus knows where to come. Keep in touch."

"I will." Eleanor blew her one last kiss before starting back up the path to the manor, her dark hair blending into the night as snow seemed to fall before her in a flurry of submission, coating her in tiny stars of ice like a queen. Cassie watched her until she faded out of sight, before heaving a great sigh and pulling out her wand, sticking it out in front of her.

Not five seconds later she was staggering backwards into the gate, Osbourne letting out a panicked screech as a purple triple-decker bus roared to a halt before them, the brakes squealing and letting off a stench of burnt rubber from the tires as the doors swung open before her.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, the only operating bus for the magical community here in Britain to help stranded witches or wizards get to their destination, or no destination at all," a pompous voice greeted her, and she shoved her hair out of her face to see a portly middle-aged man gazing down to her in bemusement. "All right, there, miss?"

"Never better," she said, picking up Osbourne's cage while the man hopped down from the bus to get her trunk, huffing and puffing as he followed her through the doors. Cassie gaped when she stepped inside, feeling like she had just entered some sort of hotel rather than a bus. Three decks of beds stretched above her, with a cut-crystal chandelier gleaming from the ceiling and giving a soft golden ambience to the interior. Some older men and women occupied a few of the beds, snoring softly in their sleep save for one man who sounded like he was gasping for air every time he inhaled. A few other people were still awake and sitting in plush armchairs instead of beds, sipping hot chocolate and reading the paper or knitting, and she looked around in amazement before the conductor cleared his throat behind her.

"Oh, sorry," she said, stepping out of his way as he deposited her trunk on the floor, pulling out a handkerchief to dab at his brow, his round face red from exertion.

"Not to worry, miss," he said, stretching out his arms. "Nothing like a little cardio to keep you awake, eh?"

"Er, right," she said. "How much would it be to get to Potter Manor in Devon?"

"Hey, Ernie!" the man called, and Cassie looked over his shoulder to see the bus driver asleep in his seat, though at the man's voice, he jumped and looked around, cramming his bottle-like spectacles back onto his nose.

"Huh, what?" the driver asked groggily, and Cassie's confidence wavered a bit as his huge eyes finally focused on the conductor. "What is it, Harold?"

"This lass wants to get to Devon," he said. "How much?"

Ernie waved his hand, turning back to the wheel and grumbling something incoherent, but the conductor seemed to get it, facing her with a roll of his eyes. "He says it'll be eleven Sickles; thirteen if you want hot chocolate, and fifteen for a hot water bottle and a toothbrush."

"No, that's fine," she said, handing him eleven Sickles and few Knuts as a tip, and he gave her a little bow.

"Thank you, miss. I'm Harold Hancox, by the way. I'll be up front if you'll be needing anything."

Cassie thanked him and settled into an armchair, propping her feet up on her trunk and securing Osbourne's cage next to her, suddenly exhausted. She looked out the window and saw the faint illumination of the gate in the lights from the bus, her eyes tracing out the Latin words etched there once more: _Fortune favors the brave._

The moment was disrupted when the bus suddenly lurched forward and she cracked her head into the glass, pulling back with a groan and rubbing at her forehead as the bus trundled through the countryside at a ludicrous speed, seeming to squeeze through impossibly tight spaces and objects jumping out of their path as they passed, and she was increasingly grateful that she hadn't gotten the hot chocolate or else she'd probably be wearing it at that point.

She must have dozed off sometime during the night, for when next she woke, the sky was painted a rosy gold and Harold was leaning over her, gently shaking her awake as she discreetly tried to rub the dried drool off her chin, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"Here's your stop, miss," he said. "Potter Manor in Devon."

"Thank you, Harold," she said, gathering up Osbourne's cage again as the conductor tackled her trunk once more. She stepped out of the stuffy heat of the Knight Bus into the blissfully cold morning, taking a deep breath of the frosty air as Harold set down her trunk next to her and tipped his hat.

"Good day, miss," he said, before jumping back into the bus, the vehicle disappearing in a blur of purple and leaving her alone on a small dirt road that overlooked a meadow, yellow now in the winter, but probably very green and beautiful in the springtime.

Down the road she could see a large but quaint house, made of red bricks and gleaming white columns with a wraparound porch, and considering she couldn't see any other habitation, she guessed that that was Potter Manor. With Ozzy's cage in one hand and the handle of her trunk in the other, she started towards the house, having to pause every now and then to rest, but she eventually made it after about a half-hour, carefully maneuvering her trunk up the steps before dropping it at her side, hesitating outside of the door.

It was painted a dazzling white to match the columns on the porch, and a grand wreath made with red and gold flowers decorated it, imitating the smaller ones hanging in the front windows, and despite the cheeriness of the décor, she was still nervous. She had never met James's parents before, and she hadn't even cleared coming over with James himself. He probably wouldn't be pleased; after all, he was supposed to be with the Marauders the rest of the holiday, and she was decidedly not one.

 _I can't believe I did this,_ she thought, biting her lip and wondering if she should just leave. _I'm so stupid._

She was just about to turn around and walk away before the front door suddenly swung open, revealing a short woman with tidy bronze curls and warm dark skin, and she peered out at Cassie with an unreadable gaze before her face split into a sunny smile.

"You must be Cassie!" Mrs. Potter said, pulling the younger girl in for a hug as she smiled nervously, nodding. "Your mother wrote me about an hour ago; come in, I've just been cooking some breakfast for you!"

"Oh, you didn't have to do that," Cassie said awkwardly as Mrs. Potter waved her wand, lifting her trunk inside.

"It was no trouble, dear," she said fondly. "Come, I'll take you to the kitchen."

She deposited Ozzy's cage on top of her trunk before following Mrs. Potter deeper into the house, feeling herself relax as she went. The house was cozy despite its size and smelled of cinnamon and apples, and it took Cassie a moment to realize how much it felt like a _home._ Alderfair Manor was big, but it was cold and imposing, like a stranger breathing down the back of your neck, and Grimmauld Place was dark and forlorn, more like a dank basement than a house. Potter Manor was the exact opposite, and she was slightly in awe as Mrs. Potter directed her to a seat at the kitchen table.

"I'm sorry if something didn't come out right," she fretted as she went over to the stove. "I typically give our house-elf Christmas off since it's my favorite holiday and I enjoy doing the cooking from time to time, but I'm afraid I'm not as good as her."

"That's fine," Cassie said, her stomach rumbling from the smell of bacon and eggs. Mrs. Potter bustled over, setting down a plate before her, and it took all of her willpower not to immediately pounce on the food.

"What would you like to drink, dear?" Mrs. Potter asked, flicking her wand and pulling a glass out of a cupboard. "Tea, milk, pumpkin juice?"

"Pumpkin juice is grand," she said, and Mrs. Potter nodded, filling up the glass before directing it to the table. "Thank you."

Mrs. Potter gave her a warm smile before setting about cleaning the kitchen, bewitching the dishes to start washing and drying themselves while she set about scrubbing countertops and leaving Cassie to stuff her face in silence, though she tried not to be too disgusting about it.

"Done?" the older woman asked once Cassie had finished, and she nodded, getting up to take care of her dishes before she was shooed away. "No, no! I'll take care of them, don't worry!"

"Really, it's fine," Cassie said politely, but Mrs. Potter shook her head firmly.

"You're sweet, but you've had a long night, dear," she said kindly, taking the dishes from her. "I've set up a room for you upstairs at the end of the hall. James is still sleeping, and the other boys will be here about noon, but I'll tell them to leave you be."

"Thank you, Mrs. Potter," she said gratefully, and the woman gave her another brilliant smile. "You are very welcome, dear. I'll be down here if you need anything."

Cassie returned her smile before starting out of the kitchen and heading up the stairs, tired and sluggish again after eating. She found the room Mrs. Potter had been talking about and promptly threw herself down on the soft bed after closing the door, heaving a great sigh and staring up at the ceiling. Not even a minute later were her eyes closed and she was fast asleep, trainers still on and passed out on top of the covers.

* * *

"You think she'd notice if we stuck something up her nose?"

"Depends on what it is."

"What about a quill?"

"Nah, too big. It'd never fit."

"Sirius's pinky finger?"

"Keep my pinky finger out of this."

"Okay, _Remus's_ pinky finger?"

"You idiots know I can hear you, right?"

Cassie opened her eyes to see four faces grinning down at her, not one of them looking ashamed at having been caught, and she rolled her eyes, sitting up and scraping her hair out of her face as James spread his arms out wide. "The princess awakes! And not even a kiss was involved!"

She made a face at him. "Knowing you lot, you'd probably make me kiss a toad if I ever fell into an enchanted sleep."

"Don't give him any ideas," Remus warned, lounging against the windowsill in her room and giving her a wry grin. "How've you been, Cassie?"

She thought back to last night and snorted, though a tight feeling still twisted her gut all the same. "Still alive, so that's worth something, I guess."

"Damn, was my place really that bad?" Sirius asked her, grinning at her from where he leaned against the door. All traces of his pureblood image from the night before were gone, his impeccable robes traded back for a pair of ripped jeans and a plain white shirt under his leather jacket and his slicked back hair reverted to its true state of unruly wavy locks, but his smirk was still the same.

"It was the posters," she assured him, and he barked out a laugh that made her genuinely smile, her heart warming as she took in the four Marauders around her. "You have no idea how good it is to see you all."

"Someone write that down," James said, winking at her mischievously. "I think Alderfair just gave us a compliment."

They all chuckled when she shot him a rude hand gesture before Peter looked to her curiously. "Wait, Cass, why are you here?"

Just like that, her good mood evaporated, and suddenly she was back in the drawing room at Alderfair Manor, those red serpent eyes boring into her, and she swallowed thickly, her throat too tight. She didn't want to tell them – she _couldn't._ The Dark Lord had warned her, but this was something she couldn't keep to herself. If she wanted to stay sane, she couldn't keep secrets.

"My brother…" She trailed off, clearing her throat while they looked on expectantly. "Will…he, uh, invited Death Eaters over to our house last night, while we were at your place." She gestured to Sirius at this, and she noticed his jaw clench, though he didn't say anything. "And, um…"

She hesitated, seeing the wand pointed at her heart again, the red eyes…

"He was there," she whispered, shutting her eyes tightly. "He was there."

"Who was there?" James asked slowly, and she opened her eyes, seeing Remus looking to her in horror.

"Good Godric, Cassie," he said hoarsely. "You don't mean…?"

She nodded once. "You-Know-Who."

There was a tense moment of silence, and Cassie watched all the blood drain from their faces, their eyes wide with shock.

"Well, that settles it," Sirius said, and Cassie started when she looked to him. His grey eyes were blazing and his face was ashen, and he looked as if he were preparing himself for a fight. "I'm going to kill that bastard."

"You-Know-Who or Will?" Peter asked in a small voice, and Sirius scowled. "Both."

"Don't be stupid, Sirius," Cassie said weakly, shaking her head. "There's nothing you can do."

"Like hell there isn't!" he snapped, and the vehemence in his voice startled her. "We can always fight. I heard there's people already doing it now – people who are against the Death Eaters, people like us!"

"Sirius," James said, looking uneasy. "We're still only in school, mate."

"Then I'll wait," the other boy growled. "As soon as I come of age and those bastards are still running around killing, I'm going to fight."

Stunned silence met his proclamation, everyone trading apprehensive glances before the tension was diffused by Mrs. Potter calling them down for lunch. Without a backwards glance, Sirius stalked out of the room, leaving everyone else in a shocked wake.

"Well," James said, puffing out a nervous chuckle in an effort to make the mood light again, "that's one way to kick off the holiday."

* * *

 **Please review! Y'all continue to amaze me every day with your encouragement and comments :)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Book_**

 **xx**


	23. The Book

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **This chapter is mainly filler, but from here on out I imagine things are going to get a lot more interesting in terms of all the mysteries going on, so I'm excited for us to move forward after this!**

 **Thanks for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: leafromlalaland, guardian-blind, allicat13, The Silvernote, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, ChizomenoHime, Raven that flies at night, DarlingPeterPan, Hopeeee, heroherondaletotherescue, Wynter Phoenix, Cae-Leigh Anne, lizyeh2000, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Book

The holiday was passing far too quickly for Cassie. The days at Potter Manor blurred together in a haze of Quidditch scrimmages between the boys (which she always readily refereed, as she much rather preferred the ground to a broomstick), running around the grounds and playing games that reminded her of being a child again, and spending dinner at the table with the Potters, whom Cassie began to see as a second sort of parents, and she now understood why Sirius was so fond of them.

After dinner, however, their carefree attitude was gone, to be replaced by an air of seriousness as the five of them would all congregate in James's room once his parents had gone to bed, dressed in pajamas and surrounded by stacks of parchment and loose quills as they talked well into the morning.

Their second day at Potter Manor, when their first meeting had taken place, Cassie and Sirius had decided to broach the subject of breaking into Carlisle's office once more to the others, which had been met with mixed emotions.

"I would like to point out that this was my idea first," James said immediately after they were done speaking, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Does that mean you're still in, Prongs?" he said, and James gave him a wicked grin.

"'Course, Pads. How could I ever pass up such a grand opportunity?"

Remus looked dubious.

"I dunno," he said slowly, rubbing his chin with his hand. "I still think we should tell Dumbledore."

"No!" Cassie said, a bit too quickly, and she flushed when they all turned to stare at her. She hadn't forgotten You-Know-Who's warning, and she knew she couldn't let them tell Dumbledore; it was too dangerous.

"Cassie, it's for the best," Remus said, and she crossed her arms and looked away when she realized he was trying to use his reasonable voice with her, the one that always seemed to make her do what he said. "This sort of stuff is far too serious for us – we're just kids! Dumbledore will know what to do. Maybe he can help take some of the pressure off you—"

"No," she repeated, setting her jaw stubbornly. "Will gave the locket to _me. I_ was the one who found out about Carlisle's maps. And I'm not a kid anymore. This is _my_ burden, and _I'm_ the one who's going to figure this out, Dumbledore be damned!"

"I knew you were gonna say something like that," Remus sighed, looking pained, "but this could be _dangerous,_ Cassie. We have no idea what we're getting into! Carlisle could actually be a Death Eater, and if so—"

"Then I'm going to expose her to the world," she cut in. "Dumbledore was the one who hired her in the first place! How well would he take it if we suddenly accused her of being a Death Eater? He'd laugh us out of his office if he didn't expel us first!"

Remus still seemed upset, but he didn't immediately answer, scrubbing a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Can't we just compromise?" Peter spoke up for the first time since they'd sat down, and they looked over to see the small boy picking at his hangnails anxiously, his watery blue eyes beseeching them. "Remus is right, but Cassie is, too. Let's just find a way to meet in the middle."

James nodded thoughtfully. "Wormtail has a point."

"Then how about we do this." Sirius placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward intently as he spoke. "When we get back to school, we break into Carlisle's office." Remus opened his mouth to protest, but Sirius gave him a sharp look and the other boy huffed, propping his back against James's bed. "If we don't find anything, then nothing happens, end of story. But if we find something dodgy, then we all agree to go to Dumbledore, yeah?"

Cassie kept her arms crossed, adamant in her decision to not get the headmaster involved, but when she saw Remus nodding reluctantly, she threw up her hands in surrender. "Yes, fine, whatever! Now, can we move on to the actual breaking in part?"

So, for the next several nights, they would reconvene in James's room to discuss strategies for getting in, while also making sure they could keep Carlisle away from her office long enough for them to get in and out. It was a lot to work through, considering how many things that could go wrong they had to account for, but by the time their final day at Potter Manor came around, they had a rough plan in store for when they went back to Hogwarts the next day.

Their last night at Potter Manor happened to fall on New Year's Eve, and Cassie was invited to join in on the Marauders' tradition they'd had since third year, though apparently one of the requirements for said tradition involved almost certain death.

"I'm not getting on the roof," she said stubbornly, standing in the attic window that led out onto the shingled roof of Potter Manor and glaring at the three boys who were already out the window and roaming about, several stories above the ground.

"Cassie, would we ever do something that would put you in harm's way?" James asked her earnestly, and Peter snorted from where he was pretending to walk a tightrope beyond him.

"Don't answer that, Cassie," he said, and she raised a pointed brow at James, who just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, stay there, be boring," he said, swaggering away. "We'll have fun without you, right, Moony?"

He punched the sandy-haired boy on the arm lightly, and Remus started, tearing his gaze away from the clear starry night and the waxing sliver of the moon to look at James, who was nodding encouragingly. "Er, yeah. Whatever you said."

Cassie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, the winter air reaching for her through the window and causing her to shiver. She was just about to retreat into the warmth of the house when a sudden hand gripped her around her waist and yanked her out onto the roof, and she yelped when her foot caught on the sill, nearly sending her sprawling before Sirius righted her with one hand, his other clutched onto a bottle that looked suspiciously like firewhiskey.

"What – are you mental?" Cassie spluttered, gazing around at all of them rather than looking over the edge and seeing the ground below, and she unconsciously gripped Sirius's sleeve as they picked their way over the roof. "Not only are you going to prance around on the roof, but you're going to be doing it while you're drunk?"

"Relax, princess, it's a sacred tradition, old as time itself," James said, and she shook her head.

"Mental," she repeated, attempting to pull away from Sirius, but he only drew her closer into his side, and she tried not to be aware of his cold fingers pressing into the hollow just above her hip.

"Here," he said, passing off the bottle to James before standing behind her and putting both his hands on her waist, which only increased her nervousness for whatever reason. "Sit in front of me."

"What?" she said, keeping her eyes on the horizon and not anywhere below that.

Sirius sighed, and she felt his breath on the back of her neck, making her involuntarily shiver. "Just follow my lead."

He slowly lowered himself down, and his hands at her waist guided her along with him until she was seated before him, her knees curled up to her chin and her arms locked across them.

"Lean back," Sirius instructed, and she did, reluctantly, only stopping when she felt her back press into his chest, and despite trying to focus on something else, she felt her face flush anyway, glad that it was dark so the others couldn't see how red she was. Once she was secure, his right arm snaked around her stomach and anchored her against him, his legs spreading out on either side of her, and she realized that he was doing it so she felt protected against pitching herself off the roof by accident. After realizing this, she visibly relaxed, suddenly grateful for his thoughtfulness.

"Y'know, Sirius, you're not too shabby of a mate," she said, reaching back and patting the top of his head, and she could feel his smirk.

"Why, Cassie, I had no idea you felt that way about me," he purred, his arm wrapping around her tighter, but a swift elbow to his stomach made him stop that.

"Don't push it, Black," she said sweetly, adjusting herself against him again as he grunted and rubbed at his ribs.

"Remus, would you hold me like that?" Peter asked, batting his eyes up at the other boy as they all sat down around them, James cracking open the bottle that was definitely firewhiskey and taking a hearty gulp.

Remus gave the mousy boy a disgusted look. "Pete, I'd rather snuggle with a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Peter pouted, flopping back dramatically on the shingles. "I'm so unloved."

"Nah, Wormtail, you're Mummy's darling angel, remember?" James mimicked in a horrible impression of what must've been Peter's mother as he handed the bottle off to Remus.

Remus took a swig of the drink, shuddering at the taste before grinning at Peter. "And let's not forget Daddy's little princess—"

"- And Auntie's pumpkin pasty—"

"-And Granny's sugar lumpkin—"

"Sod off!" Peter groaned, sitting back up and glaring at all their grins with pink ears. "Stop taking the piss out of me, you always do!"

Cassie's smirk faltered a bit at his harsh tone, but the others didn't seem to pick up on it, simply shrugging and chuckling under their breath as the firewhiskey continued to get passed around.

"I can't believe we're getting drunk the night before we go back to Hogwarts," she said after her third drink, giggling at the thought as the now half-empty bottle kept exchanging hands.

"Being hungover the day before classes isn't so bad," James said sagely, though the effect was somewhat marred by his slurred words. "It's if you're still hungover when you go to class that it's bad."

"I'm a Prefect," Remus bemoaned, holding his head in his hands as if he just realized this. "I'm s'posed to be the good example for you lot!"

"Fuck the establishment, Moony," Sirius said, raising the bottle to him. "Just pretend it's Emma Vanity and _fuck_ it."

Remus burst out laughing. "Is that what you think of every time we break the rules? Is fucking some poor girl like McKinnon?"

Cassie's grin vanished at the mention of Marlene, and she gripped the bottle in her hand tighter before taking another swig, the liquid scorching her throat and settling to simmer with the buzzing feeling that had started up inside her.

Sirius laughed, though Cassie wondered if it sounded strained somehow. "Not anymore, mate. I plan on calling it quits when we get back to school."

Remus and James let out collective _"oooh's"_ while Peter remained silent, but Cassie sat up against his chest, craning her head back to look at him with a frown. "What?"

Sirius grimaced at her accusing tone, shrugging one shoulder half-heartedly. "I'm just not feeling it anymore, y'know?"

Cassie snorted, facing forward once more. "That doesn't surprise me."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing, Sirius."

He shifted her in his arms so she faced him, and she cocked a brow at his annoyed gaze. "Just spit it out, Cass."

"Fine. _You,_ Sirius Black," she jabbed a finger into his chest to emphasize, "are a complete and utter player who disregards all feelings unless they're yours." She didn't know why she was saying this, but the effects of the firewhiskey and her indignation on Marlene's behalf seemed to be goading her into speech. "And I told you not to hurt Mar's feelings, yet here you are."

She shrugged, splaying out across his legs until she was lying on the roof, staring up at the stars while the boys all snickered, probably at the look on Sirius's face.

"She's got a point, Pads," James said. "You're a heartbreaker."

"And a berk," Remus added.

"The bloody hell am I supposed to say to that?" he demanded. "I don't have to defend who I spend my time with and why. That's my personal life."

"Just be careful, Sirius," Cassie said. "And stop being insensitive to others – especially the girls you're dating."

He seemed on the verge of arguing, but Cassie suddenly gasped, pointing upwards. "A shooting star!"

The others followed her finger just in time to see the star wink out of existence, and once it was gone, she suddenly felt sad, as if she had lost a friend and would never be able to see them again.

"Make a wish," she whispered, even though the star was long gone, and she closed her eyes, seeing nothing but the darkness behind her eyelids.

 _If I can't wish that none of this had happened to me, then at least let me wish for the power to put a stop to it._

She opened her eyes to see the boys all looking at the sky in concentration, and she smiled slightly to herself, suddenly glad that she wasn't alone in all of this. She had them, and Lily, Alice, and Marlene, and that, she thought with a rush of warmth, was enough.

* * *

"I think I'm going to be sick," James moaned for the tenth time, and Cassie rolled her eyes (also for the tenth time) as the bespectacled boy slumped in his seat, rubbing his stomach like a pregnant mother, and she had to fight off a laugh at the thought, her head pounding too much to even summon a grin.

They were on their way to King's Cross along with Mrs. Potter; Mr. Potter had had to be at work early that morning, but due to his Auror connections he was able to get them a Ministry car to take them to the station without having to worry about Floo or Mrs. Potter having to Side-Along all of them, including their luggage.

Despite her father being such a prominent Ministry employee, she had never ridden in a Ministry car before, probably because he thought it too Muggle for his tastes, but she had to admit that he was missing out. The car had been charmed to accommodate all six of them, including the two Ministry officials who sat in the front, and the backseat had been transformed into something resembling a park bench, with Sirius, James, and Mrs. Potter seated on one side and Cassie, Remus, and Peter opposite them, all of them fitting comfortably along with their trunks and owls stashed in the rear of the car.

The only down side was the fact that nearly all of them were nursing hangovers from their night of drinking, except Mrs. Potter, of course, and to everyone's anger and disgust, Sirius, who looked as bright-eyed and alert as ever as he tapped his fingers on his knee, humming to himself and staring out the window while James looked ready to pass out beside him.

Cassie wasn't feeling nearly as unwell as James, but she had a nasty headache and her mouth tasted like cotton, and Remus wasn't much better off. His skin had been pale and clammy when they'd gotten into the car, but after attempting to read a few pages from his book, he had shut it and leaned his head back on the seat, his face now tinged a light shade of green, and she edged away from him, sitting closer to Peter, who was already snoring with his face pressed into the window, a little circle of fog appearing on the glass every time he exhaled out of his lolling mouth.

Mrs. Potter seemed oblivious to their plight, or perhaps she was used to it by now as the car weaved through Muggle traffic much like the Knight Bus had, though a lot smoother and less vertigo-inducing than the latter. She was flipping idly through the pages of that morning's _Daily Prophet,_ and Cassie found herself staring at the front page, a moving black and white photograph depicting the scowling Minister of Magic, Harold Minchum, glowering out at her.

 _ **MINISTER APPROVES BILL ALLOCATING ONE HUNDRED MORE DEMENTORS TO GUARD AZKABAN PRISON**_ the headline blared, and she tried to read more, but the words were too small.

Mrs. Potter must have sensed her staring, for she looked up from her reading and sighed, turning back to the front page.

"Scary, isn't it?" she said. "Dementors are terrible creatures; I almost feel sorry for the criminals locked up there, but I have to agree with the Minister's decision."

"Why?" Cassie asked, recalling a lesson they'd had fourth year about dementors and suppressing a shudder at the memory. "If they're so horrible, then why is the Ministry using more of them?"

Mrs. Potter glanced around the car, noticing that their conversation had attracted the attention of the other boys, save for Peter, who was still snoring away until James kicked him in the shin to wake him up. The blond boy started, snapping awake and gazing blearily around the car, and Cassie surreptitiously gestured to the drool on his chin, which he wiped off on his sweater sleeve quickly before tuning in with the rest.

Mrs. Potter cast an uncomfortable look to the Ministry officials sitting in the front before she waved her wand, and Cassie suddenly felt as if she were sitting in a bubble as the Ministry officials stuck their fingers in their ears, as if trying to clear them in order to hear better, and she guessed that Mrs. Potter had cast the same Silencing Charm Sirius had that one time at Grimmauld Place while James stared at her in awe.

"Mum," he said, impressed, "I didn't know you were that cool."

Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes, though a slight grin tugged at her lips before it was replaced by a grave expression.

"Children, if I tell you this, it is because I think you are old enough to know the truth, or at least parts of it," she said, and they all exchanged a look before facing her once more.

"You've known there has been…unrest in the wizarding world," she said, and a dark look passed over her face. "You're too young to remember Grindelwald, but what's happening out there is much the same as before. This tension has been brewing for a long while, since you were children, and I fear it is only getting worse.

"This Dark wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, is believed to have started recruiting elsewhere than the wizarding community. Your father has had reports of attacks from giants, dementors, werewolves, and even Inferi who are suspected of being allied with the Death Eaters, which leads us back to your question, Cassie." She nodded her head to the younger girl. "The reason why the Ministry is using so many dementors is to keep them on our side. Dementors are very dangerous, and if the Death Eaters have an army of them at their disposal…"

She trailed off, that dark look shadowing her face once more.

"The Ministry is making alliances left and right, trying to keep the threat contained, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is growing stronger. I'm warning you all of this because at this point I think a war is inevitable, and I want you to be prepared as best you can. Be diligent in your lessons, be aware of what is happening outside of Hogwarts, but most of all, be loyal to each other and those around you. The wizarding world needs unity now more than ever, and you can be an example for others to do the same around you in school."

The Marauders and Cassie shared another look, but this time, instead of looking worried, they looked determined, and she knew they were all thinking the same thing. Sirius had said it when the holiday started, but now they needed to believe it: they had to fight.

"Ah, here we are," Mrs. Potter said, her cheery disposition returning when they looked out the window and saw King's Cross before them. She waved her wand and the Silencing Charm was broken, and she leaned forward to ask the Ministry officials something as they parked the car and they filed out.

"Have a good term, dears," Mrs. Potter said, kissing them each on the cheek while one of the Ministry officials flagged down a couple trolleys for them. "Study hard, and try your best for your OWLs – they're important!"

"I think you just made me ill again," James groaned as she smothered him in another hug, and Cassie and Peter snickered at him, gasping and pretending to faint when he shot them a rude hand gesture behind his mother's back.

After their many goodbyes and thanks were said, the five ventured into King's Cross in search of Platform 9 ¾, taking their time getting to the barrier as they had arrived about twenty minutes early.

James, Remus, and Peter wandered off at one point in search of food, the worst of their nausea apparently subsided, while Cassie and Sirius hung back to guard their trolleys, the two receiving many odd looks from Muggles while they stood there with their trunks and three owls tittering in their cages.

"Will you stop making so much noise?" Sirius growled to his black owl, Perseus, and the bird glared at him with yellow eyes, ruffling his feathers indignantly and letting out another hoot. Sirius groaned. "He's hopeless."

Cassie didn't respond to his lamentations, fiddling with the locket at her neck and staring around the station, not really seeing anything as she mulled over their conversation with Mrs. Potter in the car. Her need to find out what Carlisle was up to had only heightened, and she was now more determined than ever to solve the witch's mystery.

"Cass, are you even listening to me?" She was pulled out of her thoughts to see Sirius staring at her, obviously having been saying something to her that she completely ignored.

"Oh, sorry, Sirius. What were you saying?"

"Nothing important, apparently," he said, giving her a dry look, and she grimaced.

"I didn't mean to ignore you," she said hastily. "I just…have a lot on my mind."

"I know what you mean," he said, sighing and seating himself on top of Peter's trunk while she leaned on the pillar behind her.

He raked a hand through his dark hair, a few strands falling back into his face with defiance, but he didn't seem to care, only putting his elbows on his knees and sighing again.

"You all right?" he asked her suddenly, and she frowned, touching her fingers to her forehead.

"Er, yeah. I just have this massive headache, but otherwise—"

"I'm not talking about physically, idiot," he said, rolling his eyes but shooting her a grin. "I meant mentally."

She shrugged, fiddling with the zipper on her jacket.

"I guess," she said. "I feel like I'm in an ocean, just trying to stay afloat, but every time I manage to keep my head above water another wave comes and knocks me under again." She shrugged again, pulling on the ends of her hair. "The water's fine, though."

He barked out a laugh at this, and she smiled as well, though it came out a little forced.

"Just remember what James's mum said," he said, becoming serious once more. "We have to stick together, now more than ever."

Cassie suddenly chuckled, shaking her head and looking to Sirius, who was gazing at her in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"You," she said simply, smirking when his brows scrunched together. "It's just funny to me, how before this year you didn't know me at all. I was invisible." She smiled ruefully, scuffing her shoe on the shiny floor. "And then when you _did_ find out who I was, you hated my guts. And now…" She lifted her shoulders. "Here we are, standing together civilly and promising to stick together. Who knew, right?"

"It is funny now that I think about it," he said, his confusion replaced with amusement. "I never thought we'd get along, even after you became friends with Remus. I just took you for a Slytherin disguised as a Gryffindor."

"Can't blame you," she said, not at all bothered by his admission. "Will chose such an unexpected path, and I can't be upset that people thought I would follow in his footsteps, or if they still do. I know who I am, though, and that's enough for me."

Her words surprised her, but she was happy to realize that she was right. She'd been so afraid of other people judging her by her brother's mistakes that she'd forgotten she was her own person, who could make her own way. People had been telling her that since the beginning of the year, but she was just now starting to believe them, and her acceptance of this fact made her feel proud.

She turned to see Sirius gazing at her with an indecipherable expression, and she raised her brows at him. "What?"

"You," he said, smirking as he copied her from earlier.

Her brows rose further when didn't elaborate. "Me, what?"

He shook his head, still smirking, and her heart skipped a couple beats when she met his silver gaze, staring at her as if he could see everything about her.

"Just you," he replied, but she didn't get a chance to coerce an answer from him before the three boys ambled back over to them, each with a cone filled with roasted almonds in their hands.

"Let's go catch the train," James said around a mouthful of nuts, and Cassie refrained from making an inappropriate joke about it as they grabbed their trolleys and wheeled them to the platform, checking to see if any Muggles were watching before they passed through the barrier.

The scarlet steam engine sat before them, belching out smoke over the small crowd that was waiting to go back to Hogwarts. Most students tended to Floo back to the school from their family's house, leaving a smaller group who took the train back, most of them made up of Muggle-borns or groups of friends who wanted to take the journey back together to catch up on all the holiday gossip before returning to the rumor mill of Hogwarts, though it was practically useless; Hogwarts was a hive network for gossip, and you had to choose carefully who you revealed your secret to, or where, for undoubtedly it would be spread around the school within the hour.

They boarded the train near the end, searching for a compartment that wasn't already taken, and Cassie followed at the rear, allowing the boys to do most of the looking while she puffed along behind them, her trunk in one hand and Ozzy's cage in the other.

She eventually had to stop and catch her breath, setting down the trunk and cage and flexing her fingers, trying to get some feeling back into them while the Marauders continued without her, either ignoring her or not noticing she had fallen behind.

She rubbed her palms, hoping she wasn't going to get blisters as a compartment door opened to her right, and she froze when she heard a familiar voice say, "Er, Cassie?"

She turned to see Bertram Aubrey standing in the compartment opening, staring at her with a slight grimace that she returned, her face flushing when she realized this was the first time he had spoken to her since Sirius had decided to sabotage him asking her to Hogsmeade.

"Er, hi, Bertram…Aubrey," she said, inwardly cringing at herself for not even knowing what to call him. "Good holiday?"

"Yeah, it was all right," he said, scraping some of his golden hair out of his face, his sea-green eyes studying her carefully. "You?"

She shrugged. "Nothing too extravagant, unless you count my brother hosting a Christmas party for all his murder pals."

To her shock and some dismay, he actually laughed at this, obviously thinking she'd been joking, and she forced a smile of her own, despite mentally berating herself for letting something like that slip out so casually.

"I'm sure it must've been fun," he said wryly, stepping out of his compartment and shutting the door behind him, and she could see a few of his mates staring at them with wide eyes.

"Oh, yeah, playing charades with the Death Eaters was a real treat," she said, and he laughed again, much to her pleasure. He had a nice laugh, deep and throaty, and his smile was so bright she almost felt blinded by it.

"Hey," he said, as if a sudden thought had occurred to him, "d'you want to sit in my compartment? Er, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, but if you'd rather not, that's okay."

"Oh," she said, startled, but not unpleasantly so. "Er…"

"Ah, no worries," he said with an easy smile. "I saw your friends pass by earlier, so you must want to sit with them. At least let me help you with your luggage."

She only smiled gratefully as he stooped to lift her trunk, and she grabbed ahold of Ozzy's cage again as they set off down the corridor, looking for where the Marauders went and keeping up easy conversation as they went. It seemed as if the horrible disaster from before Hogsmeade had never happened, and Cassie found she was quite enjoying herself until they entered another train car and were met with a scene that made Cassie groan aloud.

"Leave him _alone,_ Potter! And – _Severus, put away your wand right now!"_

Lily was standing in between James and Severus Snape, who were both glaring balefully at each other with their wands raised, Sirius, Remus, and Peter extracting their own while Lily waved her hands frantically, her face almost as red as her hair.

"Both of you, _enough!_ Just walk away from each other! It's not that hard!"

"Stay out of it, Evans," James said crossly, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "If Snivellus wants a fight, then he's going to get one."

"Gallant little Potter, so brave," Snape sneered, his greasy hair hanging in his sallow face and giving him the appearance of a hag, almost. "I bet you wouldn't be so cocky if your mates weren't around—"

"Sev, please, don't stoop to their level," Lily pleaded, her green eyes wide, like a doe's. Snape glanced to her, his face softening and his hand dipping for a fraction of a second, but that was all James needed.

"James, don't!" Cassie cried, but it was too late; James's hex soared over Lily's shoulder and hit Snape directly in the face, his pale skin immediately swelling with red bumps, as if he had been attacked by a swarm of hornets. He slumped down to his knees, clutching his face while Lily was near hysterics, alternating between trying to fix his face and yelling at James, who was laughing with Sirius and Peter while Remus looked on indifferently, though Cassie could still see the faint smirk on his lips.

"I'm sorry," Cassie said, turning to Aubrey. "You shouldn't have had to see this."

"It's fine," he said, looking quite flabbergasted at the whole ordeal, but she admired him for being so calm. "Do you need any help?"

She looked around the train car, seeing that Lily had stopped screaming at James long enough to work the counter-curse on Snape, his face deflating like a balloon as he still huddled on the floor while the Marauders collected their things, ignoring Lily's threats to tell Professor McGonagall as they turned and disappeared to look for another compartment.

Cassie just shook her head, stifling a sigh. "No, I think they have it handled. Thanks, though."

He gave her another brilliant smile. "Of course. If anything else happens, you know where I am."

She nodded, turning towards Lily and Snape before his voice held her back. "And Cassie?" She looked to see him grinning at her, his green eyes hopeful. "If you ever, er, want to talk or hang out sometime, I'd be more than happy to."

She felt a strange lurch in her gut, but she smiled at him all the same. "I'll keep that in mind."

He gave her another grin before departing with a wave, and once he was gone her smile dropped from her face, dread building inside over what was going to happen next.

She followed Lily into the compartment she had helped Snape into, and the red-haired witch spun around when the door snapped shut behind her, her eyes sparking before she realized it was just Cassie.

"Oh, Cass," she said, sounding exhausted as she wrapped the taller girl into her arms. "How are you? I barely heard from you over the holidays!"

"Sorry, Lils," she said, hugging the other girl back. "Things got pretty rough. I'm sure you can understand."

She gave Lily a significant look that said she'd tell her everything later, and Lily nodded, turning back to Snape with a frown.

"Did you see what Potter did to Sev?" she said, and Cassie winced, nodding.

"I'm, er, sorry about your face," she said to him, and he scowled at her, his black eyes flashing dangerously, and she guessed he wasn't keen on receiving any apologies from someone who hung around with the Marauders.

"What happened?" she asked, turning back to Lily and ignoring Snape's hiss of annoyance.

"Potter happened," she said acidly, nearly spitting out the other boy's name. "We were just sitting in here, waiting for the train to start, and he decided to have a go at Sev for no other reason than boredom, I suppose." She shook her head quickly, her red hair flying. "I know you're friends with him, Cass, but I really don't understand how someone could be so arrogant and immature."

Cassie shrugged, uncomfortable. "I'll try talking to him, Lily."

Snape suddenly let out a derisive snort, and both girls turned to stare at him, his still mottled face flushed with anger and some embarrassment.

"I don't need you to defend me, Alderfair!" he snapped, and Cassie blinked while Lily gaped. "Just run back to your boyfriends and take turns snogging each one of them – just leave me out of it!"

"Sev!" Lily said, aghast, and the sallow boy cowed just a bit, but his eyes were still full of anger when he stared at Cassie.

"Fine," she said coolly, raising a brow at the Slytherin. "I'll get out of your greasy hair, _Snivellus."_

Lily nearly whimpered. "Cass—"

"I'll see you at the castle, Lily," she said, cutting off the other girl and exiting the compartment, slamming the door behind her. She didn't need Snape's scorn, and if he was too proud to admit that he needed her help, then so be it.

She grabbed her trunk and Ozzy's cage once more, quickly finding the Marauders' compartment and hauling her things in. Remus stood up wordlessly to help her stash them away, and when she sat down next to Peter she sighed, rubbing at her temples.

"Care to explain what just happened?" she asked the compartment at large, and when no one immediately answered she sighed, looking to James. "James?"

"The git was asking for it," he mumbled, staring darkly out the window as the train began to trundle out of the station, the view soon opening into a grey and dreary landscape as the clouds looked prepared to rain.

"By what, existing?" she asked.

"Well, you're not wrong," Sirius muttered from beside James, but she shut him up with a severe look.

James groaned, leaning his head against the window as the first drops of rain began to pelt the glass, more ice than water considering the season.

"I don't know why I did it," he admitted miserably. "I just get so _angry_ whenever I see him with Evans. And that talk with my mum had me riled up…"

Cassie arched a brow. "You mean the talk about unity?"

He glared at her. "I'm not cozying up to anyone who practices the Dark Arts. Hell, Snape's probably already been recruited into the Death Eaters—"

"James, you have to stop making assumptions about him," she said, shaking her head. "Lily's known him since they were kids; there's no way he could be a Death Eater without her knowing."

James opened his mouth, looking ready to argue, but they all started when there was a sudden lurch from the train, Cassie getting slammed back into her seat as a groaning sound came from beneath their feet.

"The bloody hell was that?" Sirius demanded, but no one answered, for they didn't quite know themselves.

"Probably an engine malfunction," Remus said, though he looked worried. "It may be magic, but it's still a Muggle machine at heart."

Cassie looked up when Ozzy tittered, and she let out an exasperated noise when she noticed that the train's movement had caused the lid of her trunk to open; she must've forgotten to lock it.

"Bugger it all," she said, standing up on her seat to close it, but she yelped when the train lurched again, her foot slipping from the seat and causing her trunk to tip dangerously, the topmost layer of contents spilling onto the floor while she grabbed the rack to keep herself from falling.

"What in Godric's name is going on?" Sirius said, but just then an announcement came from the conductor.

 _"We are terribly sorry for the previous issues you experienced, and we are now working to get those issues resolved. The Hogwarts Express will be delayed by a few hours. To accommodate this inconvenience, the food trolley will be around shortly with reduced prices on whatever goods you should choose. Thank you for your cooperation, and we hope to be on our way again shortly."_

"Great," Cassie muttered sarcastically, hopping down to pick up whatever items had fallen from her trunk.

"Cassie…" Remus said uncertainly, and she rolled her eyes as she picked up a pair of underwear from the floor.

"Yes, Remus, I'm terribly sorry your virgin eyes had the misfortune to glance upon my frilly knickers."

"Cassie," he said sharply, and she stopped, turning to stare at him.

His eyes weren't on her, however, and she followed his gaze to see where he was looking, noticing with some bafflement that the other boys were all staring at the same thing.

The book Will had given her had apparently fallen out of the trunk as well, and it was now lying open on the floor, the yellowed pages peering up at her as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.

"What are you lot looking at?" she said, picking up the book and glancing the page they had been staring at, which was decorated with a moving portrait of some dark-haired woman. "I'm sure it's not that fascinating—"

She suddenly stopped, sucking in a sharp breath as she saw the picture clearly for the first time. The woman depicted was fair and willowy, with long dark hair that spilled around her shoulders and down her back in rivulets, clashing handsomely with her rich red robes. Her face was oval-shaped and had an imperious air about it, and her eyes were a deep brown, so dark they appeared almost black.

Staring at the picture, Cassie realized that she had a problem. The problem, however, was not the certainty in her gut that she had seen this woman before, for she knew she had, now; her dream about the locket and the lovers, the man and the woman – this was the woman she had seen. Though her face had been hazy at the time, Cassie knew that this was the woman, the woman who had once owned the clockwork locket, but that was not the problem.

No, the problem was much more eerie than that, and she finally understood why the Marauders were staring at her as if they had seen a ghost – and they had.

The problem was that the woman in the book looked exactly like Cassie.

* * *

 **Please review! I'm about to suffer from finals soon so your words will hopefully give me the strength to survive!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Heist and the Heart_**

 ***Author's Note: A word on this now so I can remember and fix it one day, but earlier in this story it is stated that Bertram Aubrey is a seventh year Ravenclaw, but for the new purpose of this story, he is now a sixth year Ravenclaw***

 **xx**


	24. The Heist and the Heart

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **This chapter is ridiculously long, and I apologize in advance for its insane length, but nowhere felt right where I could cut it in half. Oh well. Think of it as my Christmas gift to those of you who celebrate it, and a spectacular gift to those of you who celebrate other holidays this season!**

 **Thanks for all the new favorites/follows (how are we already past 400 follows?! This is crazy!), and as always, thank you to my reviewers from last time: The Butterfly Defect, FangirlForEternity, SalamanderusRex, Ducky the Insomniac Panda, allicat13, namelessreckless, Cae-Leigh Anne, heroherondaletotherescue, 77Flarefox77, Raven that flies at night, Les Spring Hamilton, Wynter Phoenix, lizyeh2000, AndromedaGalaxy (Guest), and Guest 1!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Heist and the Heart

The compartment was deathly quiet; normally the chugging of the steam engine would have provided some escape from the stifling silence pressing down on them, but the train was no longer moving, squatting somewhere just outside of London where nothing but soggy grey fields and damp grey sky could be seen, the rain still coming down in pattering sheets.

Cassie continued to stare at the portrait, her heart thumping wildly. Every ounce of logic and reasoning within her attempted to pass the picture of the woman off as irrational, or even an elaborate hoax, but there was a reason she had not been meant for Ravenclaw, as her parents had hoped; no amount of philosophy or rationale could explain what she was seeing.

"Cassie, er, why don't you sit down?" James said, eyeing her with concern. "You look like you're about to faint."

She sagged back into her seat next to Remus, her eyes still on the portrait. The longer she looked at it, the more she realized that the woman was not an exact doppelganger of herself; rather, she appeared to be some kind of relative with an uncannily, disturbingly close resemblance, perhaps.

She had Cassie's angular face, and the brown of her hair and eyes was precisely the same shade of her own, though that was where the most obvious similarities ended. Upon closer observation, her skin was a faintly darker hue, dusted here and there with a few freckles, and her nose was small and round, like a button, whereas Cassie's was longer and slimmer, and slightly upturned at the tip. Her brows hung low over her deep eyes, giving her a perpetual pondering expression that conveyed wisdom and thought, something Cassie could never pull off with her arching brows and sharp cheekbones, which just highlighted her imperious features and made her look dour all the time. The discrepancies did nothing to ease her anxiety, however, and she finally felt so unnerved that she tore her gaze off the page, looking to Remus apprehensively.

"I don't understand," she said helplessly, and he winced at her tone, obviously not knowing what to say.

"Is there any context at all?" Sirius asked. He was staring at her intently, and she swallowed nervously at the look.

"No," she said, glancing back down to the book. "All of it is in Old English; I have no idea what it says."

James looked surprised.

"Your tutors never taught you Old English?" he said incredulously, and she shook her head, frowning.

"No, Latin," she said. Her perplexed gaze shifted to Sirius, but the shaggy-haired boy merely shrugged.

"Some Latin, but mostly French for me," he said. Remus and Peter both shook their heads mutely, but Cassie wasn't surprised; both boys had attended Muggle primary schools. It seemed that only pure-blood families were still adamant in teaching their children dead languages, though she had to admit that the Blacks were smart in forcing their sons to learn French.

"Can you read what it says on the other page?" she asked James, almost desperately.

"I can try," he hedged, scrunching his nose when Cassie passed him the book, as if reluctant to touch it, "but it's been years since I've studied this stuff, so I might not be the best translator."

"Anything helps," she said, and James sighed at her hopeful expression, scratching his head and causing most of his hair to stand up wildly.

"Um, well the title is _Of the History and Genealogy of the Alderfair Line,"_ he began, flipping through the first brittle pages gingerly. "And it looks like it was started sometime in the early Hellenistic Era."

He looked up to her in shock at this, his hazel eyes wide, and she raised a brow.

"Your family is _ancient,"_ he said, a hint of awe lacing his voice. "Merlin, Cassie, your bloodline was there when _Rome_ was created. This was back when Hecate was worshipped! Merlin wasn't even alive back then!"

"That's not that old," she said uncomfortably, wondering why everyone was looking at her with slack jaws. "Most pure-blood families trace back hundreds of years."

"Yeah, but not _thousands,"_ Sirius pointed out. "Most only emerged at the start of the Common Era, after Rome fell and the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings were running around. The Sacred Twenty-Eight didn't even become the Sacred Twenty-Eight until the Middle Ages, when all this pure-blood mania started."

Cassie frowned, mulling this new information over. She had known the Alderfairs were an extremely old family, but she hadn't known just _how_ old. Was that why the Alderfairs weren't counted among the Sacred Twenty-Eight families? Because they were so ancient, so much the embodiment of pure-bloods, that the other pure-blood families actually looked up to them? The thought only heightened her discomfort, so instead of responding, she just waved James on to keep reading.

Still looking quite impressed, the bespectacled boy continued.

"The page we're looking at appears to be written sometime in the second century of the Common Era, what we live in today. I think this means 1006 A.D., but I'm not sure."

"Hogwarts was founded 990 CE, right?" Remus interjected, and they all nodded. He looked thoughtful. "So this woman could've gone to school here possibly."

"Can we not try to creep me out further?" Cassie complained, shuddering. "I already feel ill enough."

Remus grimaced. "Sorry. Go ahead, James."

"That's about all the context that I got, so I'll try reading now," he said, before clearing his throat.

 _"Lady Miranda Alderfair was born in 979 A.D. to pure-bloods Lord Damian and Lady Eris Alderfair née Bardblood, making her their only child and subsequent heir to her family's fortune and the seventeenth heir of the Alderfair line._

 _"She was one of the first students to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry upon its founding in 990 A.D., where she graduated in 997 A.D. with the Honors of Heleggo Award and a Prefect of Ravenclaw House."_ James looked up from the book. "Guess that answers our Hogwarts question, then."

Cassie felt all their eyes upon her, but she simply shrugged, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "Seems like a show-off to me."

They all cracked a grin, and James continued reading.

 _"At the age of twenty-six, Lady Alderfair lost both her parents to the effects of dragon-pox, which as of then had no cure, leaving her as the only Alderfair descendant and sole inheritor of everything belonging to the Alderfair family._

 _"Wealthy as she was, Lady Alderfair did not seek work, choosing to live in relative seclusion in the small wizarding village of Barbury Crest in Scotland. However, she was a patron of scholars and considered herself one, as well, and she contributed much of her time to lecturing at Hogwarts and continuing her magical studies under the guidance of both Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin, after a high recommendation by her House Founder, Rowena Ravenclaw. Lady Alderfair paved the way for the recording and transcribing of wizarding mythology, many of which were her own works, including her most famous epic,_ The Gauntlet of Gryffindor, _first written as a gift for her mentor before being published posthumously in Morvin Morstell's popular collection of early Anglican literature,_ Fabulae ex phantasia altitudinis."

"Wait, I've heard of that before," Cassie cut in. "The _Legends of High Fantasy._ I think we used to have a copy of it. My mum used to read it to Will and I."

She frowned down at her lap, before looking back up to James and raising a haughty brow. "Did I say to stop reading?"

James rolled his eyes, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "My deepest apologies, princess. I'll get right back to being your adoring servant."

She shot him a rude hand gesture as he went back to the book.

 _"Despite never marrying, Lady Alderfair fell pregnant in her twenty-eighth year, putting a temporary halt on her work. Much to the scandal of everyone, she kept the identity of the father a secret, though assured the authorities at the time – the High Court of Magick – that the father was also a pure-blood (this was later confirmed by a Blood Spell performed by the Wizarding High Council). Nine months later, she would give birth to her first and only son, Sebastian Alderfair._

 _"While her child was still only several months old, Lady Alderfair left him in the care of her governess, Edith Ledger, as she set out upon a trip to the Scottish Highlands, determined to continue her work. However, tragedy struck in the form of…"_

James trailed off, looking troubled, and Cassie exchanged a look with Remus, frowning.

"James, what's wrong?" she asked, itching to know what Miranda's tragedy was. "Can you not translate the next part?"

"No, I can," he said reluctantly, and oddly, he shot Remus a furtive look. "Er, sorry. I'll go on."

He cleared his throat again, his finger finding the place where he had left off.

 _"However, tragedy struck in the guise of the full moon. She was attacked by a werewolf in its transitioned form, and thus was infected with lycanthropy."_

The compartment had gone eerily still, though Cassie barely noticed, too wrapped up in Miranda's story to notice much else. She could feel Remus sitting beside her, as stiff as a board, but she figured he was just as invested as she was, the tension becoming almost palpable.

After another guilty grimace, James went on.

 _"Her last works lost and her health now compromised, Lady Alderfair returned home to see her son for the final time. After sealing her will and entrusting it to her governess – in which everything was left to her son Sebastian, along with generous amounts of money being donated to her former school – Lady Alderfair vanished, never to be seen or heard from again. Many suspect that she had taken her own life to escape the curse of lycanthropy, but with no remaining records other than her works, educational awards, and will, it is impossible to conclude her fate, and left purely to speculation."_

James closed the book, and the heavy thump of the volume sealing was the only sound any of them dared to make.

Cassie's head was spinning. She couldn't make sense of anything. And how could she? A woman who was her ancestor, and just _happened_ to look like her, had vanished off the face of the earth hundreds of years ago, and was now haunting her dreams and cropping up in a strange book that her brother had gifted to her.

 _"Will doesn't do anything random. Everything he does has purpose,"_ she had told them once. He had given her the locket with the message inside, and now this book of their family history. But why?

He had to be trying to tell her something. It was the only explanation. She had grown up with Will, known him his whole life – if anyone knew how he worked, it was her. Will loved riddles. He had a flair for mystery and secrets, and even best, he loved making her solve them.

"Cass, er, not to be rude…" Sirius started, breaking her out of her thoughts, and she glanced up to find him staring at her uneasily, "but your family is starkers."

She couldn't help but to let out a derisive snort. "I'm aware of that fact, sadly."

"Really?" He shot her a smirk. "I would never have guessed. I mean, you're not exactly normal yourself."

She opened her mouth to retort, but Remus lurched to his feet next to her, suddenly looking extremely ill.

"I need some air," he said abruptly, before stepping out of the compartment and slamming the door behind him so forcefully the glass in the pane rattled, startling them all.

"Is Remus all right?" Cassie asked, rising to her feet in concern. "He looked like he was going to be sick."

The remaining three Marauders traded an indecipherable glance before Sirius got to his feet.

"I'm sure he's fine," he said airily, chuckling softly. "Poor bloke must have drunk too much last night; I'll go see if he needs anything."

"I'll come with," Cassie said, wanting nothing more than to be away from that blasted book, but she halted in her tracks when all three boys cried, "No!" in unison.

"Er…" Sirius tried for a grin that came out more like a grimace, and Peter looked as if he was prepared to dive out of his seat and tackle her to the ground.

"He'll probably be puking his guts out," James said quickly, shooting her a nervous grin. "He won't want you to see that. Best let Sirius go by himself."

"Er…right," Cassie said, sitting down reluctantly as the dark-haired boy slipped out of the compartment, leaving her in an awkward silence with James and Peter.

"I'm, uh, going to go take advantage of that food trolley," Peter squeaked. "You two want anything?"

Cassie shook her head, her stomach squirming too much to even consider food, but James passed him a couple Knuts, telling the blond boy to get him a sandwich. Peter hurriedly complied, scrambling out of the compartment and tripping on the door frame before whisking out of sight.

When the smaller boy had left, Cassie turned on James imperiously, only to find that he was studiously avoiding her eyes.

"What the bloody hell was that?" she demanded, and when James didn't immediately answer, she crossed her arms and huffed out an irritated breath. _"Potter."_

"Oh, so it's 'Potter' again, is it?" he said mildly, and she glared at him. "What do you want me to say? Sirius is right; he's just not feeling well."

"So, that means I can't be a good friend and see if he's all right?" she asked, and he shrugged, tapping his fingers on the cover of the book.

"Remus is a weird bloke. He doesn't like other people seeing him sick. It's not you; it's him."

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you just used a cliché to describe this situation."

"It's a tried and true trope for a reason," he pointed out, and she sat back in her seat, her irritation ebbing, though not going away entirely.

They sat in silence for several moments, she watching the raindrops freeze and coalesce on the window and he fiddling with the book in his lap, flipping through the pages in interest and popping his lips in a bubble continuously.

"Can you please stop that?" she said, when his lips made another _pop!_ "I already feel like I'm going mad."

She immediately felt guilty when he shrugged, making a lock-and-key motion with his hand and mouth. She wasn't trying to be a grouch, but the stress of the last few weeks was starting to buckle down on her, and she wasn't sure how much more she could take without cracking from the pressure.

"All right, Alderfair, spit it out," James said after another minute, and she looked to him questioningly to find him already scrutinizing her carefully. "You have your thinking face on."

"The book," she said, flapping her hand to the tome he was still holding. "I'm trying to work out how it all fits."

"You mean with the locket?" She nodded, pressing her forehead to the window and relaxing some as the cold glass met her flushed skin. "Where did the book even come from?"

"Take a wild guess," she said sarcastically, and his eyes lit up knowingly. "Ah."

"I don't understand what he wants from me!" she burst out, throwing up her hands. "First he becomes a Death Eater, then he's giving me a locket with some kind of bloody warning in it, then he's torturing Muggles, then he's getting cleared of all charges, then he's throwing this book at me, and _then_ he invites You-Know-Who into our house and leaves me alone with him to try and get recruited. Ugh!"

"Wait a minute, what?" James was staring at her with a hardness to his gaze that made her shrink back just a bit, and she inwardly cursed at her big mouth. "You only said that Will brought You-Know-Who into your house. You didn't mention _anything_ about speaking with him."

"I-I—" she faltered, suddenly flustered at how angry he looked. "I didn't think it was important—"

 _"Important?"_ he said incredulously. "Cassie, d'you realize the danger you were in? Did you even stop to think about what could have happened to you? And you didn't _tell_ us, because you thought it was some minor detail?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this!" she protested. "James, I get that we're allies, but you lot can't protect me all the time—"

"No, we're _friends,_ there's a bloody difference!" he snapped. "We protect our friends, Cassie, you know that!"

"I do, James, bloody hell!" she said. "I don't know what you're so upset about, though. It's not like telling you after the fact would have made much of a difference."

He opened and closed his mouth, clearly searching for an argument, until finally settling with, "Friends don't keep secrets, all right? Especially ones this big."

"I know, and I'm sorry for keeping it from you," she said, relieved to hear his voice return to a normal volume again. "I promise to tell you everything from here on out."

"Thank you," he said gruffly, crossing his arms, and she couldn't help but to grin at his pouting expression.

"Oh, c'mere, you big baby," she teased, getting up and seating herself next to him and wrapping her arms around his torso. "You're quite adorable when you sulk, y'know that? You should do it around Lily more often."

"Sod off," he grumbled, but she could hear the smile in his voice when she tucked her head under his chin and he planted a brief kiss to her hair, immediately spitting some of it out of his mouth. "Merlin, you ever think of getting a haircut?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes. Not often."

He mumbled something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "You should," before he cleared his throat.

"So, er, we ever gonna talk about your doppelganger?"

Cassie wrinkled her nose. "I was hoping to avoid it, but we should."

She sat up, disentangling herself from the lanky limbs of the black-haired boy as he patted the book thoughtfully, adjusting his glasses.

"What are your theories?" he asked her, and she frowned, moving to sit against the window while he faced her on the opposite side of the seat, their legs stretched out next to each other's sides and their arms crossed identically.

"I have a theory about Will," she admitted, "but Miranda? No idea."

"Then we'll start with Will," he said. "What d'you think?"

"There's a riddle, starting with the locket," she said. "The enchantment on it is our first clue, and this book is the second. I think he's trying to get a message to me."

"Like a trail of breadcrumbs," he said, and she gave him a weird look. "A what?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "It was something in this Muggle fairy tale Remus told us first year. I always liked it."

"Oh," she said, suddenly understanding why she didn't get the reference, "but yeah, something like that."

"What kind of message would he be trying to send you, though?" he asked. "'Join the Death Eaters, sis, it's more fun than you think!'"

She rolled her eyes. "No, I don't think he's trying to recruit me. I think…"

She paused, biting her lip, and James raised his brows in a prompting manner. "You think…?"

Cassie took a deep breath. She knew she was going to sound mad, but she had to try.

"I think Will is trying to get me to help him," she admitted. "I think he wants out."

James stared at her, and she could see the inkling of pity in his eyes, just like she had known. "Cass…"

"I know, I know, it sounds barking," she said miserably, "but, James, why else would he be doing this?"

"Cassie," he said gently, and she felt angry tears sting her eyes when she heard the pity creeping into his voice, as well. "He's your brother, I get it, and I know you don't want to lose hope…but he's changed. You have to start seeing him as the person he is, not the one he used to be."

"I know," she said quietly, blinking furiously to dash away her tears. "I just don't want him _gone_. I know I've lost him already, but I don't want him to disappear forever."

She sniffed hard, staring at her knees and discreetly wiping her tears on her scarf as he prudently looked away, suddenly taking an interest in the wall across from them.

"Sorry," she said a few minutes later, once she had composed herself again. "Do you have any theories?"

"A few," he said, turning back to her. "The first one is easy to prove." She arched a brow. "Oh?"

His face suddenly turned serious, and she felt a hitch of apprehension as he asked bluntly, "You're not a time-traveler, are you?"

"Of course not," she said, shaking her head in exasperation. "That's ridiculous."

He raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I was just making sure. You never know these days."

"Any _real_ theories?" she asked, gazing to him inquisitively.

"Well, this one's not really a theory, just logic," he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "My guess is that Miranda just so happens to look like you because she's your ancestor, and you're from the same bloodline. It's not uncommon for wizards – especially ones from the old pure-blood families – to have strong genetic resemblances, particularly after several generations. In fact, I think I have a great-great-great-great-grandfather who looked exactly like me. So, realistically, you could just have inherited a lot of her looks through the blood of the paternal side of your family tree."

"That surprisingly makes a lot of sense," she said slowly, and he shrugged.

"There's a reason some consider me a genius," he said with an arrogant smirk, and she scoffed.

"A modest one, too," she added, and they shared a grin before there was a sudden lurch from the train, both sitting up as the conductor's voice spoke again.

 _"Thank you for your patience as we worked to get this problem solved. We will now be on our way, and we should expect to arrive in Hogsmeade Station at ten o'clock. Thank you again, and have a safe and relaxing journey."_

"Ugh, that means we're going to miss dinner!" James moaned, clutching his stomach. "Where's Pete with those sandwiches?"

Cassie didn't answer, taking the book from him instead before climbing back onto the seat to return it to her trunk, most of her nerves soothed at his logical reasoning. She made sure to lock her trunk this time before returning to her seat, watching the frozen and wet landscape slip by as the Hogwarts Express hastened to their destination.

* * *

It was nearing midnight when Cassie finally began to climb the girls' staircase to her dormitory. James had insisted they go to the kitchens and eat when they arrived to the castle, refusing to go to bed on an empty stomach, and she had joined, more from her own hunger than the boys' pleas.

The three Marauders who hadn't been present for Cassie and James's talk on the train had returned to the compartment shortly after it had begun to move again, and though Remus didn't look as ill as he had before, he had still seemed quite peaky, but he had made his best effort to pitch into the conversation when needed, as they had told the others of their theories. They had all seemed to accept that Cassie's resemblance to Miranda Alderfair was just a bizarre coincidence, but when she had broached the topic of Will, they had all clearly sided with James.

"I'm sorry, Cassie, I know you want to believe otherwise, but I just don't think Will is doing this for anything good," Remus had said apologetically, not quite meeting her eyes.

"Then what is he doing?" she argued. "Can someone please enlighten me to that?"

"He's having a laugh with his Death Eater mates at your expense," Sirius said, scowling. "He's pulling your leg, nothing more." Peter had nodded in agreement.

Not wanting to rehash the same argument she had had with James, she had dropped the subject after that, the topic thankfully being stored away for the rest of the journey to Hogwarts and their dinner in the kitchens. However, the one thing they could all agree on was that time was of the essence now regarding Carlisle, and so over a steaming vat of shepherd's pie, they had planned the break-in for that coming Friday.

Cassie dragged her feet up the stairs, exhausted from the day's happenings. She doubted she would be able to get much sleep that night, however, but she had classes the next morning, so it was worth a try to get at least a couple hours' worth.

Of course, nothing she planned seldom worked out how it was supposed to.

No sooner had she opened the door to her dormitory then she was nearly barreled over by a small but very strong force, and she caught a glimpse of brown hair as Alice squeezed her tightly around her middle, nearly lifting her off her feet.

"Cassie!" she squealed, hugging her for a few more seconds before standing back, and promptly slapping her arm.

"Ouch! Alice, hey, what was that for?" she griped, rubbing her bicep after the surprisingly strong hit.

 _"That_ was for only writing me one letter over the holiday!" she said, glaring. "I mean, what am I? Chopped flobberworm?"

"Of course not!" Cassie said, aghast. "I just had a lot going on."

"I'll accept your measly excuses, but only because you're my best friend," the petite witch said, hands on her hips, though the effect of intimidation was slightly diminished by her wide grin and sparkling eyes.

"If you two are done with your domestic," Marlene said, rolling her eyes before sweeping Cassie into a flowery-scented hug. "It's so good to see you, Cass! Did you like my present?"

Cassie grimaced, remembering the heavy, cloying perfume bottle the blonde witch had sent her, simply but elegantly labeled _Sexy,_ but she plastered a huge smile on her face when she pulled back, nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah, it was excellent," she said, and Marlene positively beamed.

"Brilliant! It was the same one I had been wearing when Sirius first talked to me, so I thought it would be perfect for you the next time you meet a boy!"

"Er, thanks," Cassie said, trading a glance with Alice, who had to bite her thumb to keep from laughing at the expression on her face.

"Hey, Cass," Lily said, stepping in and saving her from Marlene's bright smile as she kissed her cheek lightly. "Good trip?"

"Yeah, for the most part," she said, shrugging. "How's Snape?"

Lily gave her a sharp look.

" _Severus_ is fine, thank you," she said crisply. "His swelling's gone down and his face is back to its normal color, thank Merlin."

"What happened to Snivellus?" Marlene asked, immediately flushing when Lily turned on her with a high-browed expression. "Er, sorry. That's what Sirius calls him, and I guess I got used to it."

Lily frowned at the mention of the Marauder, but she didn't bother with it, only saying, "Potter decided to have a go at him on the train here. He hit him with a Stinging Hex."

Alice winced, but otherwise didn't look sympathetic, since they had never much liked Snape to begin with, save for Lily.

"That had to hurt," Marlene said, and Lily nodded, looking annoyed before she moved over to her bed, already in her pajamas.

"We should get some sleep," the Prefect said, curling under her sheets. "We have to be up early for lessons."

The other girls grudgingly agreed, and they all muttered hasty goodnights before getting into bed, leaving Cassie to extract her nightclothes from her trunk and change into them.

She crawled into her own four-poster, pulling the hangings together before collapsing back onto her pillow, staring at the canopy above her.

Her fingers reached for the locket, sitting against her chest, and the gears inside it seemed to flutter at her touch, as if awakening from a doze.

 _I know you have a secret,_ she thought to it, _and I'm not going to stop until I find out what my brother is hiding inside you._

* * *

"Slow down, Cass, it's not like Hogwarts is going to run out of toast anytime soon."

Cassie looked up from her chewing to see the girls all staring at her in varying degrees of amusement and disgust, and she swallowed her large bite of toast with some difficulty, reaching for her goblet.

"What? I woke up late and I have places to go before lessons start," she said defensively, accepting the proffered napkin from Alice and wiping off some strawberry marmalade that had dripped onto her tie, though there was still a pinkish stain once she had removed the worst of it.

"Where do you possibly have to be this early in the morning?" Lily asked, sipping from her tea daintily while she perused that day's _Daily Prophet._

"The library," she answered, licking her finger and rubbing it on the stain in a futile attempt to get it out, and Marlene choked on her eggs.

"What are _you_ doing in the library?" she asked incredulously. "We only just got back!"

"And you never voluntarily go to the library," Alice added, eyeing her warily. "Are you feeling all right today, Cass? Any head injuries we should be worried about?"

"Bugger this," Cassie muttered, before whipping out her wand and pointing it to the stain. _"Scourgify!"_

The stain disappeared instantly, and, satisfied, she pocketed her wand again, looking to Alice. "Sorry, Al, what were you saying?"

The brunette witch just shook her head, and Cassie stuffed her last bit of toast into her mouth before grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll see you in Charms!" she called over her shoulder, waving before rushing out the doors of the Great Hall and making her way to the library at a jog.

By the time she got there, she was out of breath and her hair was in disarray, and when she entered Madam Pince looked up from her desk, eyeing her harshly and seemingly refraining from telling her not to breathe quite so loudly.

Cassie ignored her, striding to the back of the library where the quiet tables were and seeing nobody there, exactly as she had hoped. The only person there besides her was Remus, and he glanced up from the book he was studying as she plopped down into the chair next to him, dropping her bag on the table with a dull _thunk._

"You're late," he said simply as she gathered her hair back into a ponytail, and she made a face at him.

"I didn't hear my alarm go off," she said. "I had to run to get here before lessons started."

"The cardio's good for you," he said, and though she knew he was joking, something about his demeanor was off, and she studied him closer.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he said shortly, and she frowned at his brusque tone. He seemed unnaturally stiff that morning, but looked completely fine otherwise, and she leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper.

"Remus, seriously, what's wrong?" she said. "You've been acting odd since yesterday."

"It's nothing," he mumbled, but when she placed a hand on his arm, she felt him tense even more, and her brows furrowed in concern.

"Remus—"

"Cassie, please, don't push this," he said, and she recoiled slightly at his tone. Something seemed to spark in his green eyes, and she stared at him in shock. "Look, I'll be fine in a few days, but it's nothing to worry about, all right?"

"Did I do something?" she asked. "Was it something I said yesterday about Will - ?"

"It's not you," he said, shaking his head. "Trust me, this is just something I have to work out alone."

"All right," she said hesitantly, sensing that he didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him. "If you ever need to talk, though, I'm here for you, yeah?"

He gave her a wan smile, though that light in his eyes had returned somewhat when he met her gaze. "Yeah, of course."

She rubbed his arm reassuringly before he gestured to the books in front of him, two dusty and ancient tomes that looked as if they hadn't been touched in years.

"I found these after browsing the top shelf in the fiction section," he said. "The big one is Morvin Morstell's anthology, and the smaller one is Miranda's legendarium."

"Merlin," Cassie said, fingering the cover of her ancestor's book and wrinkling her nose when a thick coat of dust caked her fingertip afterwards. "D'you think this is the original?"

Remus shrugged, scratching the back of his head. "Could be. I haven't gotten a chance to compare the two yet, but since Morstell wrote his anthology after her death, he could have edited it, especially to fit Latin instead of Old English."

"Well, let's hope those tutoring lessons paid off," she said, sliding the two books into her bag and groaning at the weight now that they were combined with her Charms and Potions books. "Thanks for finding them. I'll give James Miranda's book in class."

"Cassie, are you sure there could be a message in these?" Remus asked her uncertainly as they left the library. "I'm not trying to doubt you, but do you really think Will is meaning for you to go through all this trouble?"

"Will loves mysteries more than anyone I've ever known," she said, keeping her voice down even after they had left behind Madam Pince's raptor-like hearing. "He sees it as a sort of game, and I'm the only one who's ever been able to keep up with him. It's important to him, and he never does it just for fun. There has to be a reason behind it. I have a feeling he gave that book to me so I could find that page about Miranda, and if he wants me to solve his little mystery, then that's what I'm going to do."

Remus looked skeptical, but he didn't voice his objections, obviously catching the glint of determination in her eyes.

"Just promise me you'll be careful," he said. "I have a really bad feeling about this, Cassie."

"When have I ever given you such cause for concern?" she asked playfully as they sidled into Professor Flitwick's classroom just as the bell rang, and he gave her a dry look that elicited a snicker from her as he went to take his seat.

Cassie walked casually to her own seat two rows in front of the Marauders, discreetly slipping Miranda's book out of her bag and handing it off to James where he sat at his own desk, and he shot her a wink as she took her seat next to Alice, getting out her supplies and settling herself in for the typical review session Professor Flitwick always put them through their first day back.

"Have fun at the library?" Alice asked her out of the corner of her mouth, jerking her head back to where Remus was sitting, and Cassie scrunched her nose.

"I thought we were past all the assumptions that I fancy him?" she said, and Alice grinned.

"Oh, we are," she said mischievously. "I just like to give you a hard time."

"Thanks," she said drily, and Alice stifled a giggle as Professor Flitwick began speaking from the front of the room.

Charms passed quickly, considering they weren't learning anything new and Professor Flitwick had sent them on ahead a few minutes early, and Cassie filed into the corridor with the rest of the class, she and Alice waiting to be joined by Lily and Marlene.

"Sorry, I have to go chase down Jennifer Flynn real quick," Lily said upon emerging from the classroom. "She's supposed to have the new Prefect schedule and I need to see if I have rounds tonight."

They waved her on, and she flashed them a brief smile before taking off down the corridor, calling the Ravenclaw Prefect's name.

"So, Alice, tell us about New Year's with Frank!" Marlene said as the three girls headed aimlessly down the other end of the corridor, having extra time to kill before their next lesson.

Alice's face turned pink, but she grinned sheepishly when Cassie and Marlene squealed.

"It was wonderful," she said, her smile turning giddy. "His parents were so lovely, and the party was fun. He took me out to the garden when it neared midnight, and when the clock struck…he kissed me!"

The three girls burst into a fit of screaming and laughing, hugging each other and jumping up and down in the middle of the corridor.

"Frank Longbottom _actually_ kissed me!" Alice said, as if the more she said it the more real it became.

"Al, this is so exciting! I'm so happy for you!" Cassie cried, hugging her friend tightly.

"He better be asking you out soon, or I'm going to have some words with him," Marlene said, and Alice laughed.

"D'you really think he'll ask me out, though?" she asked, biting her lip nervously, and Cassie ruffled her hair.

"The poor sap's been pining after you almost as long as James has with Lily," Cassie said, rolling her eyes. "He's _so_ going to ask you out."

Marlene clapped her hands together, doing some sort of weird dance. "You can come on double dates with me and Sirius! It'll be perfect!"

Alice wrinkled her nose. "As long as you aren't snogging each other's faces off, then sure, we'd be glad to go with you and—"

"Sirius?"

The girls had rounded a corner to see a bizarre sight, one that involved Sirius Black and a blonde witch that was decidedly not Marlene, locked in a fierce battle that involved lots of roaming hands and moving lips, and they all stopped dead in their tracks.

At the sound of Marlene's hurt voice, the snogging couple jumped apart, and Cassie recognized the other witch as the Ravenclaw Prefect from their Charms class that Lily had been trying to find, Jennifer Flynn.

"What the hell is going on?" Marlene asked in a tremulous voice, her eyes fixed on Sirius, and the boy shuffled his feet awkwardly, but it was Jennifer who stepped up and spoke.

"Don't look so surprised, McKinnon," the Ravenclaw sneered. "Did you really expect Sirius to be so torn up after ending things with you?"

"You know, for a Ravenclaw, you're really stupid," Marlene snapped. "We're still together, in case that little fact slipped your pea-sized brain. Now get away from my boyfriend."

At Marlene's words, Jennifer's sneer had morphed into a look of sheer panic, and she suddenly whirled on Sirius.

"You told me you broke up with her over the holiday," she accused, and Sirius looked as if he wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

"Er, well, I was going to today…" he said awkwardly, and Marlene gaped.

"You were going to break up with me?" she asked, her blue eyes filling with tears, and Sirius grimaced.

"Mar, I can explain…"

"No," she said, backing away from him and shaking her head. "No, you can stay here and paw your new plaything. I'm done. We're over."

"Marlene—"

"Don't ever talk to me again!" she yelled, before turning the corner and stalking away, her footsteps echoing loudly in the silent corridors.

Alice gave him a scathing look. "You couldn't have waited one bloody day?" she said, shaking her head in disgust before running after Marlene, calling the other girl's name and telling her to wait.

Cassie remained in the corridor with Sirius and Jennifer, and when the Ravenclaw made no move to leave, Cassie turned her cold glare on the Prefect, who visibly shrank back from her.

"Are you still here?" she asked the Ravenclaw rudely, and without another word, she fled down the corridor, leaving her alone with Sirius.

The dark-haired boy stuffed his hands in his pockets, glancing to her guiltily before saying, "Cassie—"

"Save it," she snapped, and he shut his mouth immediately. She knew she looked scary in that moment, but she didn't bother to school her features into something more civil, anger, indignation, and some hurt swirling within her. "How bloody idiotic and inconsiderate do you have to be, Black? How could you do something like this to Marlene, one of my _best friends?"_

"Look, she came on to me, all right?" he said, his grey eyes flashing. "And I _was_ going to break up with Marlene today—"

"Oh, spare me the lousy excuses," she said, her voice dripping with venom. "I'm sure your reasons for betraying my friend are _very_ fascinating, but I truthfully don't care to hear them."

She spun on her heel, marching back down the corridor they had come, half-expecting Sirius to come after her, but she was surprised yet also relieved when he didn't.

After several minutes of searching, she finally found Marlene and Alice huddled up in an alcove with Lily, who had apparently found them and already gotten the story. Alice was stroking the blonde witch's hair soothingly while Lily dabbed at her tears with a handkerchief, trying to avoid smearing her mascara.

Cassie joined them wordlessly, sitting at Marlene's feet and taking one of the girl's hands into her own as she sobbed into her chest.

They didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent while Marlene attempted to pull the pieces of her heart back together, her sobs echoing down the empty corridor.

* * *

Friday morning saw Cassie curled in an armchair in the Gryffindor common room, reading the chapter in her History of Magic book that detailed the rise of the domesticated house-elf trade before going to the class itself in thirty minutes. She had fallen asleep reading it the night before after struggling through a mountain of homework, but the chapter wasn't any more stimulating than it had been previously, and she found her eyes drifting more often than not.

She was interrupted from her blank reading when she felt a presence looming over her, and she reluctantly tore her eyes away from the page to see James standing with his arms crossed.

"If you're coming to ask me for the sixth time to let me give Sirius a chance to explain himself, then you can turn right back around," she said haughtily, going back to her book before it was tugged out of her hands. "Oi!"

James dangled her book in front of her, scowling down at her. "Please just do it. If I have to hear him complain one more time about how he doesn't want you to hate him, I'm tying him to a broomstick and sending it into the Whomping Willow."

Cassie's lips twitched at the image that provided, but she kept her scowl firmly in place, unconvinced.

"Remind me again why he's so worried about me, and not the girl he cheated on?" she asked, and James rolled his eyes.

"Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to that nutter," he said, "but you're one of his best mates, Cassie. He can stand us being upset with him because he's known us for so long, but you being mad at him is driving him mental."

"Then why are you being his owl and talking to me while he cowers in your room?" she said crossly. "If he wants to explain himself, then he can come to me."

"So, you'll hear him out?" James asked hopefully, and she snorted.

"Not a chance," she said, and he threw up his hands in frustration.

"Cassie, it's been almost a week! Just talk to him, please." He dropped his voice, leaning in closer before saying, "Listen, we're supposed to be breaking into Carlisle's office tonight, and I am _not_ doing it with the two of you if you're on the outs. Please, just forgive him for one night so we can do this without any problems."

She sniffed disdainfully, standing up and yanking her book back into her hands.

"I'll think about it," she said, stuffing it into her bag before exiting through the portrait hole, her glower causing a group of first years to scramble out of her way as she stalked down to the History of Magic classroom.

She was not looking forward to hearing Sirius grovel at her feet, trying to explain what he did as a mistake and beg for her forgiveness. If anything, he should be the one groveling at _Mar's_ feet. The blonde witch had been quiet and reserved all week, her humiliation clear to anyone who knew the story – which was everyone in the school, naturally. Cassie couldn't blame her friend; to witness something like that was mortifying, and she felt her anger flare again as she thought back to seeing Sirius with that sodding Ravenclaw.

Cassie threw herself into her desk once she reached Professor Binns' classroom, giving curt nods to Remus and Peter, who were already there. They waved back politely, though kept their distance; despite being all right with them, they had sensed her vehemence against Sirius the entire week, and had kept a safe distance away from her, obviously not wanting to be dragged into their row.

She let her eyes travel the classroom, seeing Alice talking to Frank animatedly at the front of the room while Lily meticulously set out her supplies, her movements neat and deft. She glanced over to Marlene, seeing the usually bubbly witch sitting subdued in her seat, her face bereft of any makeup and her shoulders hunched. Cassie felt another wave of indignation sweep through her, the feeling only intensifying when James and Sirius slumped into their seats across the aisle from her.

She felt James's eyes on her, but she ignored him, pulling out a piece of parchment paper and her quill as Professor Binns drifted into the classroom, appearing out of the blackboard and not even hesitating before launching into a dull and utterly boring monologue of the House-Elf Trade Triangle of the eighteenth century.

Cassie's Hufflepuff seatmate (whose name she still hadn't learned after sitting next to him for six months) was already fast asleep five minutes in, and she scribbled on her parchment listlessly, her face pulling into a frown when another piece of balled up paper landed on her desk.

She opened it and found a note written in elegant script inside, and she didn't even have to read the message to know that it was Sirius who had penned it.

 _Can we talk? Second-floor corridor. Five minutes._

She huffed out an irritated breath, scrawling a hasty _Fine_ before balling it back up and tossing it to him with much more force than was necessary. It bounced off his forehead and she saw him start, clearly not expecting such a violent throw, and she smirked slightly to herself as he got up from his seat and walked out.

Professor Binns did not stop his monologue once, and after waiting a couple more minutes Cassie stood and followed him out of the classroom; Professor Binns only stopped lecturing for two things, and those were another professor walking into his classroom to give him a message, or if something happened to pass through his body, as Cassie had learned the hard way earlier that year. She wouldn't be surprised if the ghostly professor even remembered her walking out.

She made her way to the second-floor corridor and paused, not seeing a sign of Sirius, but a sudden hand gripped her arm tightly and pulled her into a dark room, the door snapping shut behind her as she tugged her arm out of Sirius's grasp.

"A broom cupboard? Really, Black?" she hissed in the semi-darkness of the closet, her foot hitting a mop bucket and making a little dinging noise. "How is this even remotely helping your situation?"

"It was the only place empty that I could find on such short notice!" he snapped. "Can you not bite my head off?"

"Can you not apologize to Marlene and stop acting like an arse?" she retorted.

"Look, I'm really sorry about Marlene, all right?" he said, a touch of guilt straining his voice, but her resolve didn't waver. "I was going to break up with her that day, truly, but—"

"You decided to give Jennifer Flynn the tongue treatment instead?" she finished.

"'Tongue treatment?'" he repeated in bafflement, before cursing when she hit his arm. "Never mind, sheesh! Listen, though, I'm going to apologize to her tomorrow, after we get through this thing tonight – ow, Cassie, stop that!"

She had hit him again. "No, Sirius Orion Black, you are going to apologize to her _today._ No more excuses!"

"Did you really have to drag my middle name into this?" he asked her petulantly, but he shrank back when she raised her fist again. "All right, cool it, I don't care! Use it as many times as you want. Just please stop hitting me, for the love of Merlin."

"You'll be lucky if Mar doesn't do worse when you try talking to her," she warned, and he grimaced, his teeth glinting white against his olive skin and the dim light they were standing in.

"So, does this mean we're good after I apologize?"

"Sure," she said, shrugging, "but let's get some things straight, Black."

"Oh, boy," he muttered under his breath, and if looks could kill, he would have been six feet under then.

"Firstly, if you don't mean that apology to your sincerest degree, then I will hex you until you turn bald and grow a jungle of back hair instead," she said, jabbing her finger into his chest to emphasize her point. "Secondly, if you _ever_ do anything like that again, to _anyone,_ then we are through being friends, got it?"

"Yes," he said, sounding genuinely cowed, but her victory wasn't secured yet. "Anything else?"

"Thirdly," she said, "I just want to know why you did it."

There was a heartbeat of silence.

"What?" he asked blankly, and she groaned aloud.

"Why did you do it, Sirius?" she repeated. "Why did you do _any_ of it? You've never had a stable relationship before, so what made you agree to dating Marlene? Why did you even start things with Marlene in the first place and not tell me about it, even though you knew she was one of my best mates? Why snog Jennifer Flynn?"

"I don't know, all right!" he burst out, and he dragged a hand through his hair in frustration. "I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't want a relationship, but she was so persistent, and she seemed so happy, and I-I couldn't say no. How much of a prick would I have been then?" He chuckled without humor. "I wanted to end it, I really did, but I knew how much she meant to you, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings, especially because you started to mean something to me and I didn't want to jeopardize that, either."

Cassie remained silent, her barbed words stilling on her tongue. Sirius heaved a great breath, and she waited for him to continue.

"Jennifer Flynn meant nothing. She had sent me a note during class and I had followed her after Flitwick let us go. She had initiated everything, but I reciprocated when I shouldn't have. I was just feeling so conflicted, and so lost, after everything that had happened, after you—"

"Me?" she echoed incredulously. "What did I do?"

"I don't know, and that's why I feel like nothing is making sense!" he said agitatedly, gripping his hair, and she stared at him in bafflement. "None of this makes sense, Cassie! You, your brother, us – all of it! I feel like I'm going mad trying to keep up with it all! And my parents, _my_ brother, everything that's happening in the real world… I feel like I'm falling into this _hole,_ and I keep trying to claw my way out of it, but I can't, and—"

He broke off, breathing heavily, and Cassie realized with a jolt that he was crying. Sirius Black was bloody _crying_ while she stood with him in a broom cupboard, and she had absolutely no idea what to do. If someone had told her last year that this would be happening to her, she would have laughed in their face and sent an owl to St Mungo's to come collect their patient.

"Fuck,"he said, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, and she watched in panic as his shoulders shook, his breath hitching. _"Fuck."_

"Sirius…" she started, before trailing off, at an utter loss for words. She had been furious with him not even five minutes ago, and now all she felt was an aching empathy, knowing exactly what he was trying to say. She fought the same things every day, but it seemed like he had finally grown tired of his own battle.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice huskier than usual. "You can go now. You don't have to see this."

"No," she said softly, wrapping her fingers around his wrists and bringing his hands down from his face, his hair falling into his too-bright eyes.

"I know," she said simply, her eyes searching his and seeing her same fears, her same fierce desire to fight, reflecting back to her. "I know."

He stared at her for a long moment before crushing her to his chest, burying his face in her shoulder, and she clung back to him just as tightly, blinking back her own tears. They were so young, but they were already going through far too much, and she poured her own emotions into their embrace, their hopes and fears melding together and creating a sort of armor around them both, a shield to protect themselves and a sword to protect the ones they loved.

They remained that way for a while, until Sirius had regained his composure and pulled away, tossing his hair out of his eyes.

"We should get out of here before class ends and someone finds me in another compromising position," he said, his usual arrogant smirk back in place, and she nodded vigorously. "Agreed."

They emerged from the cupboard, thankfully not being spotted by anyone, before making their way back to the History of Magic classroom. They reached the door, but before they walked inside, Sirius reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Cassie," he said, and she turned back to him, her brows raised.

"Thank you for listening," he said, his grey eyes serious as he searched her face. "I'll apologize to Marlene after dinner."

She smiled, only to be stopped from entering again when his grip tightened on her hand, sending a strange flutter through her stomach.

"And Cass? You're a good mate," he said sincerely, hesitating and looking like he was going to say more, but he just smirked and dropped her hand.

"I know," she replied coolly, before shooting him a wink and opening the door.

* * *

"We all know the plan, yeah?"

" _Yes,_ James, we've been through this already."

"Just go through it again. One more time."

They all collectively groaned, Peter smacking his head against the footboard where they sat perched on James's bed, the bespectacled boy insisting that everyone have their plan for breaking in memorized before they even set foot out of the dormitory.

"I'll be posted outside the Defense classroom under the Invisibility Cloak keeping watch," Peter grumbled, drumming his fingers on his thigh and fidgeting anxiously, but he seemed excited, as well.

"And?" James prompted, causing the younger boy to puff out his cheeks in a deep sigh.

"If I see anyone coming, I'll knock on the door three times and hoot like an owl."

"Barn owl or screech owl?"

"What? You never specified which one I had to sound like!"

"I know, I was just joking with you."

Peter smacked his head on the footboard again.

"All right, Remus, what about you?"

The sandy-haired boy looked around at them all disapprovingly before sighing. "Professor Carlisle spends her Friday nights grading in the teacher's lounge until about one o'clock in the morning, which gives us about an hour window since we're leaving at midnight."

James nodded encouragingly. "Go on."

Remus made a disgruntled face, clearly still against breaking in, but he continued nonetheless. "I'll stand guard outside the teacher's lounge, and if she comes out earlier than expected, then I'll occupy her with questions I had about the homework." He gave James a dubious look. "I still don't know how that's going to work. If she sees me she'll be suspicious."

"Of course not," James scoffed. "You're one of the top students, Moony; she'll just think you're a sad overachiever who spends his Friday nights alone doing homework."

He rolled his eyes. "Great."

James clapped his hands, moving on. "All right, Sirius, Cassie, you?"

"We'll be in the office, searching for the papers," Cassie recited, fiddling with the hem of her jumper. She was nervous about breaking into the office, feeling twitchy and flushed, while Sirius was wholly unconcerned, as cool and unruffled as ever. The only sign he was as jittery as the rest of them was his wand tapping a staccato against his knee.

"Excellent," James said cheerfully. "And while you lot are doing the dirty work, I'll be keeping Filch busy."

"Cheers, mate," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.

"It's nearing twelve," Remus said, pulling up his sleeves. "We should start getting into position."

They got up from the bed and began collecting their various items, James passing the Invisibility Cloak to Peter with a subtle, "You rip it, or lose it, and I'll feed you to the acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest."

Peter paled, nodding wordlessly as he took the cloak reverently.

Remus grabbed his book bag and slung it over his shoulder, looking the very image of a tired but ambitious student, while Cassie and Sirius stowed away their wands, not needing anything else.

"Hey, Prongs, you never told us how exactly you plan on distracting Filch," Sirius said suddenly, turning to his friend questioningly, and the other boy's face lit up with an impish grin that told Cassie whatever it was, it could be no good.

"Well, Padfoot," James grinned, tugging off his jumper and tossing it onto his bed, "let's just say it involves a minor sacrifice of my dignity, but nothing too extreme."

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me," Cassie said, her eyes wide as next James unbuttoned his shirt and removed it, as well. "This is not happening."

"It is, princess, and if I were you, I'd take in all my glory now, because you'll never be seeing it again. You have already seen me shirtless far too many times to be considered normal at this point, and I'm putting a stop to that after tonight."

"Pete," Cassie said in amazement, "please tell me you still have that Muggle camera stashed somewhere in here."

"Cassie, you're a genius," Peter breathed, letting out a mad giggle as he went to fetch it.

She watched in horror as James stripped himself of his shoes and trousers, leaving him standing in his boxers and socks.

"Good Godric, are those _Snitches?"_ she asked, pointing to his underwear, and he gave her an affronted look while Remus and Sirius choked on their laughter behind her.

"Yes, they are," he said, "and I'll have you know, my mum picked them out for me."

"Wait, do your socks match?" Peter asked, whipping out his camera and snapping the picture when James looked down, and his eyes bulged behind his glasses as they all roared with laughter.

"Wormtail, burn it!" he said, pointing to the mousy boy, who was doubled over with laughter and clutching the developing photograph.

"Or what?" he wheezed, his voice squeakier than normal. "Are you going to make me buy matching knickers, too?"

"Forget it," James growled, stalking to the door and throwing it open while they tried to contain their laughter. "Just put the cloak on and follow me."

Peter tugged the cloak over the four of them as they trailed after James, having to shuffle along awkwardly since they were all varying heights and walked at different paces. The common room was blessedly empty when they descended, and they tumbled out of the portrait hole with several grunts and curses, James leading in front.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed, dear?" the Fat Lady called after James, looking quite concerned for the boy's mental health as she took in his unclothed state.

"Am in bed," he mumbled, pretending to bob along like a sleepwalker as the four followed him quietly, Peter having to stuff a fist in his mouth to keep from laughing.

They made it to the sixth-floor corridor without any interference, and Cassie began to unwind some the further along they went. They had worked on this plan for weeks, and they knew what they were doing. They would make it out of this scot-free, and Carlisle would never know what hit her.

They eventually ran into Filch on the fifth floor, and even though the caretaker couldn't see them with the cloak on, they still ducked behind a suit of armor, anyway, leaving James to fend for himself as the grizzled caretaker caught sight of him.

"Potter!" he said, hobbling over to the boy with his lantern swinging wildly in his hand. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Palm trees," the boy murmured dazedly, his eyes unfocused and his voice sounding dreamy. "Swaying in the wind…"

"What?" Filch growled. "What is this, Potter? Some new prank?"

"They're calling my name," James said, raising his arms. "They want me to be their king!"

"Enough of your nonsense, Potter!" Filch snapped. "I know your little cohorts are around here somewhere – where are they?"

"I will be your king!" James said grandly, throwing his arms around the caretaker and causing him to splutter and struggle, but James held fast to him. "I will take care of you all! Coconuts for everyone!"

"Potter, what in Merlin's name - ?"

"GOTCHA!" the boy suddenly shouted, before pushing away from Filch and sprinting down the corridor back the way they had come, whooping and hollering as he went and banging on suits of armor.

"POTTER!" Filch roared, dashing after the boy and yelling out a string of obscenities as he chased him down the corridor. Mrs. Norris appeared around the corner, streaking after her owner, but she paused when she reached where the four were hidden, sniffing the air and seeming to gaze right at them with her red eyes. After a particularly loud crash further down the corridor, however, she continued on, and they all let out a collective breath.

"That was close," Remus muttered as they began to shuffle down the corridor once more.

"That was _brilliant,"_ Peter said, his eyes shining with glee and adoration. "I've never been prouder to be James's friend."

"Yeah, well, you can kiss the ground he walks on _after_ we pull this off," Sirius said, and Cassie nodded in agreement, the four falling silent until they had reached the fourth-floor corridor.

"This is it," Cassie whispered as they came to a stop outside of the Defense classroom. "Pete, you stay here."

"Good luck," Remus said as he wriggled out from under the cloak. "I'll go stall Carlisle."

"Good luck," they echoed back, and he had soon disappeared down the dark corridor.

"Remember, three knocks and a hoot," Cassie reminded Peter as she and Sirius removed the cloak from over them.

Peter waved them on, and they ducked into the classroom, shutting the door behind them quietly. It was extremely dark, their only source of light the faint shine of the moon outside, and Sirius got out his wand, murmuring, _"Lumos."_

"Her office is at the top, there," Cassie said, pointing to a curved stone staircase where a door waited at the top landing.

"Let's go," Sirius said, and they ventured up the stairs, moving silently in case it turned out the professor was in her office, after all.

Sirius tried the knob, but it was locked, and Cassie extracted her wand from the waistband of her jeans, moving to the door and waving it in the familiar motion. _"Alohomora."_

The lock clicked open with a muffled pop, and Cassie pushed open the door slowly, wincing when it creaked on its hinges. She poked her head inside, her wand raised, and she let out a tight breath when she saw that the office was empty.

"It's clear," she told him, and he followed her inside, keeping his wand lit in the total darkness of the room.

"Where should we start?" he asked.

"You take the cabinets, I'll get the desk?" she suggested, and he nodded. "Sounds fair."

He placed his wand on top of the tallest cabinet so they could have more light, and he began opening the drawers while Cassie rifled through the papers on top of the desk first, knowing that she wouldn't find anything useful there but still trying just in case.

After predictably seeing nothing but stacks of graded papers, she began to tackle the drawers, shoving aside broken quills and empty inkpots and scrap pieces of parchment, searching for anything suspicious.

"So, I talked to Marlene today," Sirius said casually, and Cassie peeped her head up from behind the desk, raising her brows. "How'd that go?"

"Not too bad, all things considering," he said, grimacing slightly. "When she wasn't yelling, or threatening to throw a lamp at my head or curse me into oblivion, we managed to come to a civil agreement of sorts."

"And what's that?" she asked, pawing through another drawer and grunting when she again found nothing.

"That I would stop being insensitive to others' feelings, and if I managed that, then we could be friends again."

Cassie's head poked up from behind the desk again. "Haven't I told you that exact thing already?"

He looked sheepish, turning back to his search and speaking to the cabinet instead. "Er, you may have mentioned it before."

"Good to know my advice is so helpful," she grumbled, shutting another drawer in frustration.

She reached for the bottom drawer of the desk, pulling on the handle, but it didn't budge, and she frowned down at it, trying again, but to no avail. She peered closer at the drawer, and she saw a tiny silver lock just below the handle, and her heart started to beat faster in excitement. "Sirius! I think I've got something!"

He rushed over as she raised her wand, muttering another, _"Alohomora!"_

She tugged on the handle again, but the drawer remained stubbornly in place.

"Shite!" she hissed. "She must've made it Imperturbable!"

"Look for a key," Sirius said, already feeling the underside of the desk, and Cassie frantically swept over the top again, hunting for anything she might have missed the first time.

There was a large silver and emerald paperweight in the shape of a striking snake holding down a stack of papers, its small silver fangs gleaming in the light from Sirius's wand, a raven-feathered quill, and more papers, but nothing that looked like it contained a key.

Cassie let out a growl of frustration, picking up the paperweight and hitting it on the desk. There was a small hiss of air from under her hand, and then a click as a tiny silver key popped out of the snake's mouth, right in between its fangs.

"I found it!" she said triumphantly, grabbing the key out of the snake's mouth just as three frantic knocks sounded on the classroom door below, followed by a ghastly impression of an owl.

The two froze, and Sirius stood up quickly, grabbing her hand. "We need to go."

"No way!" Cassie said, wrenching her hand out of his grasp. "I have the key. We need to open the drawer!"

"Cassie, did you forget what Peter's signal means?" Sirius hissed. "Carlisle's coming!"

As if to prove his point, the three knocks came again, followed by the abominable hoot.

"Then you go!" she snapped. "There's something important in there, and I'm not leaving until I get it!"

"Godric, you are insufferable!" he whispered harshly. "Just open the damn drawer already!"

Cassie threw him a withering look before inserting the key in the lock, her hands suddenly slick from sweat while her heart pounded madly in her chest. She unlocked the drawer and yanked it open, pausing when she saw only two scrolls of parchment in the drawer, sealed and marked, before Sirius shook her shoulder urgently.

"Grab them and go!" he said, and she did, shoving the scrolls up the sleeves of her jumper before shutting the drawer and locking it, her fingers fumbling in panic.

"Come on!" Sirius urged her, and she put the key back into the snake's mouth, watching it disappear into the bowels of the paperweight again as Sirius extinguished his wand and gripped her hand, nearly dragging her out of the office.

She shut the door behind them, sealing it again as they flew down the stairs and ran for the classroom door. Sirius barreled through the door, Cassie nearly falling flat on her face as they both slammed into something solid in front of them.

"Merlin, Pete, watch it—" Sirius snarled, before his voice died in his throat, the blood draining from his face.

Cassie followed his gaze and instantly felt her heart drop somewhere beyond her toes, probably burrowing into the earth where her grave would be dug right alongside it.

"So," Professor Carlisle said, her cold eyes freezing them in place and her crimson lips twisting into a smile, giving her the appearance of a savage wolf that had finally hunted down its prey. "Just what you were two doing in my office?"

* * *

 **Please review! Each one is like a gift in itself, and I love hearing from you!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Gauntlet of Gryffindor_**

 **xx**


	25. The Gauntlet of Gryffindor

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Hello all! Sorry for disappearing for two months like that - between starting a new semester, working on original writings, and now midterms I've barely gotten a break until now. I'm lowkey excited for you guys to read this chapter though - it may be a lot shorter than any of the others, but some major things happen that are definitely going to catapult this story forward and in the direction I've been intending it to go for a while now.**

 **THANK YOU for all the new favorites/follows while I was away, and of course, thank you to all my lovely reviewers from last time: HPuni101, Number1brat, Cae-Leigh Anne, Loyal as a Book, SiriuslySirius0409, ehluvr3, FangirlForEternity, madgeundersee05, The Butterfly Defect, graysonsgr, Epochs, mycatlookspresidential, SalamanderusRex, 19irene96, Raven that flies at night, Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

 **(Also, can you believe this story just celebrated its one-year anniversary?!)**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: The Gauntlet of Gryffindor

"Follow me," Professor Carlisle ordered, sweeping into the classroom with a flick of her black robes. Cassie and Sirius obeyed, too numb and shell-shocked to do much else, and Cassie became acutely aware of the scrolls hidden up the sleeves of her jumper, her heart hammering as they reentered the office.

Professor Carlisle waved her wand and the door snapped closed behind them, causing the two to jump as she sat behind her desk, eyeing them with her frosty gaze.

"Sit," she said, and they did, neither saying a word as she glanced over her desk, many of the loose papers in disarray from the lack of time to put them in their proper place once more. Her red lips curled up in a smile, and Cassie's knee jerked nervously.

"I am going to ask you two once more: what were you doing in my office?" she said, and Cassie attempted to swallow despite her parched mouth. Both remained silent still.

Professor Carlisle sighed, her features creasing in annoyance. "I am not blind or foolish, if that was what you were hoping I'd be tonight. Your friend Mr. Lupin tried his best to keep me occupied, but I'm afraid his plan didn't last quite as long as you had wished. I also had the pleasure of running into Mr. Potter and Mr. Filch on the way here; another part of your ill-advised plan of distraction, I reckon. I'm not sure where Mr. Pettigrew fits into this, but I'm fairly certain I've never heard a more unconvincing owl in my life. So, I will ask again: _what were you doing in my office?"_

Cassie opened her mouth; to say what, she had no idea, but Sirius beat her to it.

"Cassie, we need to tell her," he said, looking to her seriously, and she gaped. "We can't lie about this. If we're honest, maybe she'll let us off easy."

"Sirius, are you insane?" she hissed, disbelief coloring her every feature. "We can't tell her anything!"

"Tell me what?" Professor Carlisle was looking back and forth between them as if she were watching a gripping tennis match, eagerness evident on her face. "What were you doing?"

"Sirius," Cassie pleaded, seeing the sudden determination in his eyes, and she knew it was over. He was going to tell her. He was going to make it out to be _her_ fault, and she knew Carlisle would never believe her over him. Suddenly she heard Lily's voice echo at her from months ago: _"You're running around with troublemakers who will place the blame on you as soon as you get caught!"_ But Sirius wouldn't do that to her. Would he?

Sirius took a deep breath, facing Professor Carlisle with a grimace.

"We broke in because we were looking for a place to snog," he said, with the air of someone admitting his deepest, darkest secret, and Cassie froze, heat rising to her face despite their predicament. She only listened in rapt horror as he went on.

"Cassie wanted to keep our relationship a secret for the time being, so I suggested we come up here, since no one would ever bother looking for us in the Defense classroom," he said, casting his eyes to the floor shamefully. "It was nice, for a while, until we, er, you know…"

He gestured vaguely, and both Cassie and the professor stared at him in bewilderment.

"Well, er, things got _heated,_ if you know what I mean, and we got this idea about the desk in your office…" He trailed off, scratching the back of his neck, and Cassie suddenly wanted nothing more than to throttle him, her face blazing and her stomach churning.

Professor Carlisle appeared to be struggling with herself.

"Mr. Black," she said, her voice cold, clipped, and Sirius winced at her tone, "are you trying to tell me that you and Miss Alderfair… _fornicated_ atop my desk?"

"Well, I wouldn't say we went that far…" he hedged. "Pete drew the short stick, you see, he was our lookout for the night, but I couldn't tell you what the others were doing. We stopped when we heard the hoot."

Cassie let out a noise that was somewhere between a whimper and a groan.

Professor Carlisle stared at him, her bony face white and taut, her lips pressed firmly together in a flat line. For a wild second, Cassie thought the professor might hex him, but slowly, she turned her head to face Cassie, her grey eyes unyielding and containing a harsh warning.

"Miss Alderfair," said the professor, "is this true?"

Cassie looked to Sirius for a brief second, feeling faint, but he gave her an imperceptible nod. She swallowed, looking back to Professor Carlisle.

"Yes," she said, the word coming out strangled. "It's true, Professor."

Professor Carlisle suddenly slammed her palm flat on the top of her desk, causing her and Sirius to flinch in their seats.

 _"Lies,"_ she hissed, and her eyes suddenly blazed with a silvery fire. "You two were in here searching for something! What was it? What were you looking for? What do you two know?"

Suddenly her eyes widened, and Cassie's heart leapt to her throat when she pressed down on the serpent paperweight, reveling the tiny silver key that she had replaced there not even ten minutes ago.

Cassie looked to Sirius frantically, but he wasn't paying attention to her, instead watching Carlisle with a strange grin on his face. She had no time to ponder on this, however, as Professor Carlisle unlocked her bottom drawer and opened it, suddenly freezing.

There was a horrible swelling silence, the tension in the room growing unbearable as Cassie squirmed in her seat, her mind running through the possibilities of their consequences: Would she march them to Professor Dumbledore and let the headmaster expel them? Would she torture them? If she was a Death Eater, she wouldn't put the idea past her… But why was she just sitting there, not saying anything?

"Get out," she said finally, and Cassie started, staring at her with wide eyes.

"W-what?" she said, but Professor Carlisle looked up at her, her expression thunderous.

"I said: _get out,"_ she repeated icily, her tone seeming to drop the temperature in the room by several degrees.

Cassie continued to stare, but Sirius was already on his feet, tugging at her arm. "Cassie, c'mon, let's go."

Cassie reluctantly allowed Sirius to haul her to her feet, but she held Professor Carlisle's gaze for as long as she could, even as Sirius ushered her out the door. The professor's stare was colder than anything she had ever experienced, and was filled with a black loathing that made the hair on her arms stand straight up before she was whisked out of sight.

Sirius slipped his hand into her own as they descended the stairs into the classroom, but she hardly noticed as he led her out the door and started down the corridor, heading back in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

They didn't speak the whole way there, Cassie's mind still reeling over what had just happened and why Carlisle had let them go so quickly. It wasn't until they reached the dozing portrait of the Fat Lady that Cassie stopped, letting her hand fall out of Sirius's grasp limply.

"What the bloody hell just happened?" she asked, staring at Sirius as he turned to face her, looking as cool as ever, and…smug? "Sirius, did you do something?"

"Besides save our arses?" he said, smirking. "First rule of being a Marauder, love: always have a backup plan, and always cover your tracks."

"But…how?" she said weakly.

He pulled out his wand from his pocket, twirling it casually in his hands with that same smirk still stuck to his face. "Simple charm, really. I used the Gemini Spell to make copies of the scrolls before you hid them up your sleeves. To Carlisle, not a thing was out of place in that drawer."

Cassie shook her head, uncomprehending. "All right, but why did she just let us go? We didn't even get a detention!"

Sirius's smirk turned into a fully-fledged, arrogant grin, and his grey eyes sparkled with mischief.

"I also may or may not have dropped a note in there I wrote beforehand that said I'd go to Dumbledore over concerns about her 'fascination with the Dark Arts' if she tried to punish us," he said casually, shrugging. "And I put emphasis on the Dark Arts part, trust me."

"Sirius Black," she said, slightly awed, "you just might be the most brilliant wizard I have ever known."

He grinned again, though she wondered if his cheeks were slightly pink. "You woo me with your words, Cassie Alderfair. Should we celebrate our close shave with death by actually fornicating atop a teacher's desk?"

Cassie blanched, embarrassment crashing into her like a tidal wave.

"If you ever breathe a word of that to anyone, I swear by Morgana and Merlin and every other sacred wizard on this earth that I will kill you in the most agonizing manner possible," she said, ignoring her burning face and Sirius's stupid smirk. "I'm serious, Sirius!"

"You should see the look on your face," he said, letting out a bark of laughter. "Good Godric, Cassie, I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear! I'm quite done being Hogwarts' topic of gossip for the time being."

"Wow, that's a first," she said, shaking her head, "considering you love being the center of attention."

"Oh, I do," he agreed, gesturing her after him as they walked towards the Fat Lady. "But I know how much you hate it, and I don't want you to go through any more shite than you already have."

"Oh," she said, blinking. "Er, thanks, Sirius. That's very…considerate of you."

He turned slightly, giving her a half-smirk that made her stomach do that odd swoop again.

"I guess you could say you inspired me to turn over a new leaf," he said. "As much as I hate to admit it, you bring out the good in me, princess. Even though it detracts slightly from my image as the rebellious, troublemaking bad boy of Hogwarts."

She laughed at this last part. "Trust me, Sirius, nothing could ever change that."

"Maybe," he said, shrugging. "Except you."

The words surprised her, and she stopped walking to cast him a weird look. Upon noticing that she was no longer beside him, he stopped too, turning to look at her with a quizzical brow raised. "What?"

She felt a wry grin tug at her lips as their conversation in King's Cross came back to her.

"Just you," she said simply.

He merely gazed back at her, his eyes unreadable and that half-smirk still on his face, and her stomach gave another jolt as he continued to stare at her. The corridor was suddenly beginning to feel too small, and she shuffled her feet awkwardly as he took a hesitant step toward her, watching her carefully, as if afraid she would try to run away.

She stood her ground, however, as he came closer, until he was standing right in front of her, so close she could smell his aftershave and something else she couldn't quite place, though she knew it was distinctly _him_. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, shocked at his face's proximity to hers, but in the dim light of the corridor it was hard to make out any details except the muted grey of his irises, and her heart gave a nervous flutter.

His hand reached up, and ever so slowly, he pushed back her hair from her face, his fingertips brushing her cheekbone and making every nerve in her body tingle from the faint touch. She said nothing, only continuing to gaze at him as he leaned forward slightly, his hand moving to the nape of her neck.

"Are you two going to stand out here all night or are you going to give me the password?" the Fat Lady said grouchily from behind them, and Cassie and Sirius jerked apart as if the other were scalding to the touch, whatever brief spell they had been under broken.

"Er, sorry," Cassie said, running a hand through her hair awkwardly while Sirius coughed from beside her. _"Quid Agis."_

"Exhausted, at this rate," the Fat Lady huffed before swinging forward and permitting them entrance. They clambered through the portrait hole, emerging into the common room and nearly being barreled over by Peter.

"You're alive!" he squeaked, bouncing from foot to foot as if he really needed to use the loo. "I thought you were in for as soon as she ran into you — "

"Yeah, thanks, Pete, for doing anything to stop her," Sirius said scathingly, and the blond boy seemed to shrink under his piercing gaze.

"It's not Peter's fault, Sirius," Cassie said, feeling a spike of pity go through her at Peter's wilted frame. "I was the one who kept us in there after he had warned us; getting caught is on me."

"Wait," Remus said, standing up from where he had been perched on the arm of one of the chairs by the fireplace and startling Cassie; she hadn't realized he was there. James, however, was nowhere to be seen. "You two got caught? What happened?"

Cassie grimaced, but she relayed the tale of their narrow escape to the two boys, carefully omitting out the lie Sirius had made up to Carlisle about why they had been in there, though she couldn't help throwing a glare at him when she noticed the wide smirk on his face.

"Sirius, that was genius," Remus said, sounding grudgingly impressed. The other boy gave a small bow, and Remus turned to her. "So, you have the papers, then?"

Cassie nodded, extracting the two scrolls she had taken from her sleeves, and they all moved over to a table by the window so they could sit and read. Faint moonlight shone through the high window, lending the table an eerie atmosphere as she placed the scrolls in the center.

"We should wait for James," Remus said, echoing her thoughts. "He'll want to see this, too."

The four of them sat in silence for half an hour in the empty common room, the only sound being the popping of lone embers in the fireplace. Peter had begun to chew on his fingernails, lost in thought, and Sirius had his elbows and chin on the table next to him, staring intently at the scrolls as if he could read what was inside them. Remus merely gazed out the window, his eyes seeming to track the moon's path through the sky, and Cassie sat with her heels up on her chair, her arms wrapped around her knees as the minutes dragged by.

Finally, at around three o'clock in the morning, the portrait hole swung open, revealing the lanky form of James as he stumbled into the common room, still wearing nothing but his boxers and socks.

"I'm flattered you all stayed up for me," he said cheerfully. "Let me change into something more modest and I'll be back."

Several minutes later he had returned, taking the remaining seat between Cassie and Remus, and he looked to all of them expectantly. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Nothing too special," Cassie said before anyone else could speak, and she untangled her limbs, sitting up straight in her seat and suddenly feeling much more awake. "What about you?"

James grinned, his cocky self-confidence oozing through. "Same here. Filch couldn't disprove my terrible sleepwalking habits, so I was let off with a warning. The poor sap; he looked like I'd shaved off all of Mrs. Norris's fur when he realized he couldn't punish me."

"How sad," Cassie said blandly. "At least the sacrifice of your dignity was worth it; we got what we were looking for."

She gestured to the scrolls, and James rubbed his hands together eagerly.

"All right, then," he said excitedly. "Let's see it."

Cassie plucked one of the scrolls from the center and tugged it open, rolling it flat against the table with her palm and revealing the list of the Four Founders she had seen so long ago. It still looked the same: Salazar Slytherin and Helga Hufflepuff's names both had the word 'FOUND' written next to them in big letters, Rowena Ravenclaw's name was still inked with a question mark, and Godric Gryffindor's name was still bolded, as if the professor had retraced the letters with her quill several times over.

"Well, you weren't kidding," James said, peering closely at the parchment. "Any idea what this means?"

"Not even one," she said sourly. She had hoped that with Will's extra clues the list would be easier to decipher, but she was no closer to understanding it than before.

"We'll come back to it," Remus said, sensing her frustration. "Maybe the other scroll can help us."

Realizing this was a valid point, Cassie pried open the second scroll, her eyebrows shooting up when at least fifteen inches of parchment unfurled in her hands, the bottom edge just barely brushing her knees.

"Merlin, what is that?" James asked. "That's longer than all the essays I've written _combined."_

Cassie's eyes roved over the parchment, first taking in the miniscule black writing inked out in uniform lines before reading the title, letting out a gasp.

"I don't believe it," she said, laying the parchment flat so everyone else could see. "It's Miranda's story!"

 _"The Gauntlet of Gryffindor?"_ Remus asked, and she nodded.

"And it's in modern English," James said, looking up from his perusal of the paper. "We don't need to translate it."

"Well, go on, then," Sirius said impatiently. "Let's read it and figure out what the bloody hell Will wants."

"No," Cassie said, suddenly seized by a protective desire. "I think I want to read it by myself first."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest, but Remus silenced him with a look. "That's fine, Cass. Take your time."

"Does this mean I can sleep?" James asked.

"Go on to bed," she said, not taking her eyes off the paper. "We'll reconvene in the morning."

"You don't need to tell me twice," James said, getting to his feet. "'Night, princess."

She bid them all goodnight, listening to their footsteps ascend the stairs and only looking up when she noticed Sirius still standing by the table, watching her.

Heat flooded her face once more when she recalled what had happened outside of the portrait hole earlier, her heartbeat quickening, and she wondered if she had imagined the whole thing: how close he had been to her, the smell of him, the way his hand had moved along her skin, those silver eyes boring into her as he had leaned in, and possibly the most startling revelation of all, that perhaps she wouldn't have minded if his lips had indeed met hers…

"You should get some sleep, Sirius," she said, looking back down to the parchment and hoping he hadn't noticed whatever emotions she was feeling playing out across her face.

"You should too," he said quietly.

"In a bit," was her only reply, and when she didn't say more, he turned for the stairs.

"'Night, Cassie."

"'Night, Sirius."

She watched him retreat up the boys' staircase, her gaze lingering far longer than was necessary. Her mind taunted her with all that had happened earlier, suddenly remembering his offer to fornicate atop a teacher's desk, and though she knew it had been a joke, heat quite unlike the one staining her cheeks pink swept through her, making her bite her lip.

Not allowing her thoughts to wander further and quashing down whatever she was experiencing, she turned back to the issue at hand, smoothing out the parchment so the candlelight caught the words better, and began to read.

 _The Gauntlet of Gryffindor_

 _In a dark and enchanted wood, there lived a sprightly and cunning creature. This creature could take many forms: forms meant to frighten, forms meant to cheer, forms meant to do most anything. What his true form was, no one could ever tell, but those who encountered him gave him the name Gwarwyn-a-throt, or simply 'Thief'._

 _Gwarwyn-a-throt was known by many a traveler as a mischievous spirit often found guarding the entrance of the wood atop a well, demanding payment in exchange for the travelers' safe passage, for he knew all the creatures of the wood and could speak to them, and could persuade them to hunt elsewhere until the travelers were gone._

 _Coins were of no value to the Thief; he preferred the gift of trinkets above all, and so it was with heavy hearts that travelers paid tribute with their fine gold rings and precious family heirlooms, their exquisite silver jewelry and shiny delicate baubles. Those who tried to retrieve their trinkets when they reached the end of the wood never succeeded; Gwarwyn-a-throt was much too clever for them, and thrice cursed them before sending them on their way. Those travelers were usually found only weeks later, dead after some unnatural incident, and Gwarwyn-a-throt's power only grew._

 _One misty evening, a lone rider appeared on the road leading into the wood. He was tall and proud, his hair fair and fine, and his countenance one of sternness, but also gentleness. Godric Gryffindor was his name, and to many people was his name known. A chivalrous man, a brave warrior, and a wise wizard was he, eloquent of mouth and skilled of magic. Alone in his house in the wood, Gwarwyn-a-throt sensed the rider approach, and the Thief became gleeful, for he knew of Godric, and surmised that he would pay with a fetching trinket to pass through the wood unharmed._

 _When Godric reached the mouth of the wood, Gwarwyn-a-throt appeared to him on the rim of his well, gangly and wily with a wicked glint in his eyes._

" _Hail, Godric Gryffindor!" cried the Thief, his voice croaking and cackling. "What brings you to my wood?"_

" _I seek passage through here," replied Godric, straight and proud. "Yet I have heard of you, Thief, and your price to pass in peace, but you will receive no payment from me."_

" _And why is that?" asked the Thief._

" _Because I am Godric Gryffindor, wielder of the Sword and Gauntlet of Gryffindor, and my own power will help me pass through the wood," boasted Godric._

 _Gwarwyn-a-throt's eyes only gleamed, but said, "O! mighty Gryffindor's Sword and Gauntlet! I have heard of their great power, and wish to strike a bargain with thee!"_

" _There will be no bargains," said Godric. "Now, go back to your home and allow me to be on my way!"_

" _Very well," said the Thief, snapping his spindly fingers. "If mighty Gryffindor will not pay in trinkets, then he shall pay in favors."_

" _What do you mean?" asked Godric._

" _I am the Guardian of the Wood, and I say who shall pass and who shall not," said the Thief. "Payment will be made, even by those as mighty as thee."_

" _What favors do you mean?" said Godric. "Speak! As the Sun is growing ever dimmer."_

" _Three tasks for thee," said the Thief. "Complete them, and thee shall pass unhindered; fail, and my nasty critters will snatch you up!"_

" _And what are these tasks?" asked Godric, still astride his noble beast._

 _The Thief held up three gnarled fingers._

" _Firstly, thee will fetch me firewood for my home – though only the wood from the lonely Ember Tree!_

" _Secondly, thee will catch my dinner for the night – but only from the grove in which the sprites play and the pixies dance!_

" _And thirdly, thee will defeat the evil jabberwock from the mountains. Then, and only then, will the mighty Gryffindor be allowed to pass through my wood unmaimed and unsullied!"_

 _Godric, never one to deny a challenge, accepted the terms._

" _But what, pray tell, do you receive once I have completed your tasks?" asked Godric. "Surely you, Thief, have some trickery up your sleeve?"_

" _No trickery, noble Gryffindor," answered the Thief. "And what do I receive, you ask? Why, what else do I need besides some firewood for my hearth and some supper to last me? And why must I resort to trickery to banish the nasty jabberwock?"_

" _I know your ways, Thief," said Godric. "There is always a price to pay."_

" _Then a price shall be named," responded the Thief. "Something of value of my choosing once your tasks have been completed; and in return for this unnamed trinket, I will allow you to pass through my wood unhindered for the rest of your days."_

" _I do not trust your bargains, Thief, but I will complete your tasks," said Godric. "Now, allow me to go forth so as I may do them."_

 _And with that, Gwarwyn-a-throt gave a low bow and disappeared with a CRACK, and so Godric went and began his tasks._

 _[…]_

Cassie halted in her reading abruptly when everything below the break suddenly turned ineligible, as if whoever had written out the story realized they didn't want the entire thing to be read and so sought to make it indecipherable.

Frustration spiked through her, making her throw the scroll back onto the table and scowl. Why was Will making everything so bloody difficult for her? She couldn't find a straight answer anywhere, and just when she thought she had something, it turned out to be useless.

She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms angrily, glaring out the window and to the sliver of moon that was showing behind a cloud.

 _I'm not giving up so easily, brother,_ she thought vehemently. _I_ will _find out your secrets, and when I do, you're going to regret ever keeping them from me. I promise you this._

* * *

When Cassie next opened her eyes, it was to find herself in pitch darkness. Gone was the Gryffindor common room and the chair she had previously been sitting in, to be replaced by a soft mattress and warm sheets. Faint moonlight was drifting in through a window across the room she was in, with a rosy glow attached to it that marked the coming of the dawn.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, a shadow to her right moved, and she sat up, squinting through the gloom to see what it was.

"Sirius?" she whispered, and the shadow jumped, letting out a soft curse that confirmed her suspicions. "What are you doing?"

"Making a bed," he replied in a whisper, and it suddenly clicked that she was in his dormitory. The faint sounds of the other boys' breathing were now discernible once she focused, and she realized that she must be in Sirius's bed if he was making one on the floor.

"How did I get here?" she asked. The last thing she remembered was staring at the moon after she had finished reading Miranda's story.

"I went to check on you after an hour or so," he said, grunting when he sat down on the floor. "You had dozed off and I didn't want to wake you, so I carried you up here since the girls' dormitory was out of the question."

For some inexplicable reason, this explanation made her blush, and she was glad he couldn't see her face as she just replied, "Oh. Well, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Silence fell upon the dormitory once more, and Cassie stared at the canopy above the bed, twisting her fingers in the soft downy duvet. Sleep was tugging at her, begging her to close her eyes, but she suddenly felt far too wired to sink into the exhaustion she felt.

"Did you get the scrolls off the table?" she asked, for lack of anything better.

"Yeah, they're on the bedside next to you," Sirius replied from the floor, and when she shifted her head, she did indeed see them, sealed once more and tied together with a piece of string Sirius must have provided.

It was quiet again, until Cassie blurted, "You didn't have to carry me up here, you know."

"I know." He sounded amused, which only increased her urge to babble.

"I would have been perfectly fine on one of the couches," she said, and he gave a light snort.

"I'll remember that the next time I find you drooling on the table," he said, and her face reddened in mortification. Had she really been drooling?

"Well, you can remember that the next time you have to sleep on the floor," she retorted.

"Are you suggesting there are other places for me to sleep besides the floor while you occupy my bed?"

"Don't say it like that."

"Like what?"

"'Occupy my bed.' It sounds weird."

"You're weird."

"Very mature, Black."

"Says the one who calls me a drama queen daily."

"Because that's _true._ Stating facts is the height of maturity, thank you very much."

"Why do you keep talking? Go to sleep."

Cassie turned her head to glare at him, even though he was hidden from her sight by the bed. "Just for that, I'm going to keep talking."

"I can always ignore you," he pointed out.

"Yes, but you won't," she said smugly.

"Oh?" She could hear the challenge in his voice, and she grinned to herself, knowing she had his attention now. "And why do you think that?"

"I just know it," she said. "You can never resist the temptation of getting the one-up on me."

She could hear him grumbling to himself, and her grin widened. "Since when do you know me so well, Alderfair?"

She shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. "It's a talent, I guess."

"Bloody pure-blood," he replied, and she stifled a laugh.

Another silence stretched between them, one so long she thought Sirius might have fallen asleep, but after several minutes she heard him shifting on the floor, muttering to himself, "Sodding floor. Why can't you be comfortable?"

"Having trouble?" she said, and he huffed an exasperated breath.

"This is a lot more uncomfortable than I imagined," he admitted. "Could you toss me another pillow?"

"You could just sleep up here." The words were out of her mouth before she could process them, but when she did she mentally slapped herself. What was she thinking?

Her embarrassment only grew when he didn't immediately respond, and she debated feigning sleep until he said, "Are you sure?"

A chance – he was giving her a chance to laugh it off as a joke and deny him, and her jaw worked for a moment before she said, "Yes."

Alarm bells began to ring in her head as she heard him heave himself off the floor, and she kept her eyes fixed on the canopy when the mattress dipped on her other side, signaling his body sliding into the covers next to hers.

Why had she said yes? There was no way she would be sleeping now, not when another person was so close to her – not when _he_ was so close to her. What was the matter with her?

"You all right?" She started at the sound of his voice, so near, and she nodded quickly.

"I'm just tired," she said, hoping he couldn't feel her hammering heart through the mattress.

She sensed his gaze on her, but she stared adamantly up, not sure how she would react if she saw those silver eyes boring into her with so little space between them. The scene of what had happened outside of the portrait hole was playing repeatedly in her head, and she could still feel the phantom touch of his lips on hers, so close, and that same heat from earlier was igniting her body with the memory of it.

"Cass."

"Hm?"

"You haven't taken a breath since I've laid down."

She sucked in an exaggerated inhale that made him roll his eyes.

"You're insufferable," he said.

She snickered. "I've been called worse, and mostly by you."

"You know I'm only joking when I say those things, yeah?" He rolled over on his side, propping his elbow up and resting his head in his hand, and the alarm bells began clanging louder from his proximity and his beseeching gaze.

"I know," she said, her voice coming out in a wheeze, and she chanced a glance to him, her heart nearly stuttering when she saw how he was looking at her, that half-smirk quirking his features and making him…adorable?

Merlin, she was losing it. Since when did she describe Sirius Black as _adorable?_

 _Cassiopeia Marie Alderfair, if you don't get your shite together_ right now…

"Er, goodnight," she said abruptly, hastily turning on her other side so she was facing away from him and his stupid smirking face, her own blazing with nervousness and mortification.

She could hear him chuckling softly behind her, and she burrowed deeper into the sheets to escape the sound, praying for sleep to come quickly. She had only been lying still for a few brief moments, however, when suddenly she was flipped onto her back, her cry of protest quelled when she looked up and saw his face mere inches from hers, her spine tingling when she felt his knees lock her in place, his hands barring her from moving to either side.

"All right, Alderfair, out with it," he said, and her heart squirmed uncomfortably.

"Out with what?" she whisper-shouted. "Get off me!"

"Not until we come to some sort of conclusion here," he said, and if she could have moved her arms, she would have thrown them up in exasperation.

"What in Godric's name are you talking about?" she hissed, now thoroughly exacerbated, but he hardly seemed to notice.

"You and me," he said seriously, and that shut her up. She glared up at him petulantly, though, which only caused him to grin faintly. "I think it's time we established our relationship."

"We're friends, you dolt, how many times do I have to say it?" she said. "Now, can I go back to sleep?"

"No," he said stubbornly, and she stifled a sigh. "C'mon, Cass, don't play dumb with me. Yeah, we're friends, but there's something else there. I know you felt it tonight, outside of the portrait hole."

Did that mean he _had_ been meaning to snog her? Oh, _Merlin…_

"I think this is hardly the time to discuss this," she said, her throat oddly tight. "We're _friends,_ Sirius."

"Are you going to deny it, then?" he demanded. "Y'know, a lot of people in this school think I'm insensitive and all that other rubbish, but that doesn't mean I'm not perceptive. I can read people, Cassie, just as I can read you."

"And what do I say?" she challenged, meeting his silvery gaze directly and refusing to look away.

"That you don't want to admit you have feelings for me," he said, and she gaped, before irritation swept through her.

"Get off me," she said coldly.

He didn't budge.

She clenched her fists, not having the patience to deal with this tonight, if ever. She could feel her mask settling into place, her features turning to ice, as she enunciated, "Get. Off. Me."

To his credit, Sirius didn't back down, merely opting to gaze at her with an unreadable expression.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked her.

She pressed her mouth into a firm line, and she saw something flicker in his stare before it was gone – annoyance? Hurt? Confusion?

"Fine," he said, when it was clear she was not going to answer. "Suit yourself, Cassie. It's up to you now."

He must have seen the glimmer of bewilderment in her eyes, for he elaborated.

"I'm not going to interrogate an answer out of you. When you know, you know where to find me. I'm leaving this up to you."

"Leaving _what_ up to me?" she snapped, breaking her stubborn silence.

His eyes locked with hers once more, and this time, they weren't unreadable. She could see the emotion in them, and panic seized her once more when she saw it – the one thing she was refusing to let herself believe in, to have hope for.

"I don't know when it happened," he said, his voice a rushed whisper, as if he were trying to get it all out before she could stop him, but all she could do was listen. "I don't know if it hit me all at once or if it was gradual, but I think I feel something for you, Cass, something more than what I have with the others. And I know you feel it too, which is why I'm not going to force you to say it now. Say it whenever you're ready, and I'll be there. I'll always be there, Cassie."

And with that, he freed her from his bodily cage, slithering out of the bed back onto the floor and not saying anything more.

Cassie lay awake for a long time afterwards, watching the sun's rays bleed through the window as Sirius's words bled through her veins, and she thought to herself, with some distant twisted humor, that her life just became more complicated than ever.

* * *

 **Please review! It would bring Spring Break that much faster if I could read all of your thoughts until then!**

 **Ah, Cassie. Stubborn 'til the end. I'm excited to work on this new dynamic between her and Sirius; in some ways, he has the power over her in knowing how she feels before she can (or can't? ...) admit it to herself, but in others, she has the power over him in that she's the only one who can progress their relationship by having it be her choice in the matter. What will happen?**

 **Next Chapter: _The Second Match_**

 ***Author's Note: The break in Miranda's story is intentional, as many things about the latter half of the tale mark a big significance later on in the story, in case anyone was wondering if I just got lazy and didn't write the rest of it***

 **xx**


	26. The Second Match

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! Sorry for the delay, but I JUST finished my semester this week! Ya gurl is officially a sophomore in college, AHH! Anyway, I hope this long(ish) chapter makes up for the wait.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and THANK YOU to my reviewers from last time: heroherondaletotherescue, Epochs, HPuni101, tennismaniac19, Cae-Leigh Anne, lizyeh2000, dreamerwithapen, Raven that flies at night, Blissangel91494, graysonsgr, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, FangirlForEternity, Waddiwasi44, Asmodeus Black, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, Guest 4, Guest 5, and Guest 6!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Second Match

Thick snow and frosted grounds heralded the arrival of February, and Hogwarts was swept with a bitterly cold wind from the north that seemed almost constant, leading the students and staff to stay cooped inside to avoid the biting chill. Cassie, however, was quite sick of being stuck indoors all the time, especially when the group of third years sitting at the table behind her in the common room seemed intent on holding a belching contest whilst she was writing an essay about goblin rights in the nineteenth century.

"That's disgusting," Marlene commented, wrinkling her nose after a particularly loud one assaulted their ears, followed by the boys' roaring laughter. "Why do they do that?"

"All that hot gas they keep bottled inside has to go somewhere, I guess," Cassie replied, scowling when the belching kept happening. "Where's Lily? She's a Prefect; they'll listen to her if she tells them to shut their gob."

"In the library," Marlene said, dipping her quill into her inkpot before scribbling a sentence on her paper. "Said she wanted some quiet so she could do her work."

"If I didn't mind Madam Pince breathing down my neck the whole time I'd say we join her, but alas." Cassie shrugged, popping her knuckles and looking out the window to the white grounds.

"How are the blokes?" Marlene asked, and Cassie grimaced, knowing she meant the Marauders. She shrugged again.

"Fine," she said. "Still arrogant and insufferable idiots, but at least they're my arrogant and insufferable idiots."

Marlene hummed. "And Sirius? Are you still avoiding him?"

Cassie stiffened at the mention of the shaggy-haired Marauder, but she kept her expression neutral when she said, "I haven't been avoiding him."

"Really?" Marlene paused in her writing to give the other witch a high-browed glance. "Because you've barely spoken to him in two weeks. That kind of seems like avoiding."

"Focusing on school is not avoiding," she pointed out, scratching at her arm. "You've seen the course load they've given us for OWLs. It's never ending!"

"Then you should tell him that," Marlene said. "He's worried about you, Cass, that much is evident."

Cassie spluttered, feeling her face going red. "Where does he get off on that?"

"Dunno," Marlene said, thankfully not noticing Cassie's flushed face. "But at least let him know you're all right, so he can stop gazing at you all intently whenever you walk into a room. I'm surprised you haven't spontaneously burst into flame yet."

"I'm going to gouge his eyes out," Cassie muttered under her breath, low enough so Marlene couldn't hear it, but luckily the blonde witch dropped the subject after that, leaving Cassie alone to brood.

It had been a fortnight since they had broken into Carlisle's office and Sirius's unexpected declaration, and though she hated it, she had to admit Marlene was right – she _had_ been avoiding Sirius, or as much as she could, given the perpetual presence of the Marauders around her. She had allowed them to read what was written of Miranda's story, to the confusion of everyone, but she and James had agreed that they would continue the painstaking process of translating their respective books until they got the ending – which was easier said than done, of course, as the amount of homework for the fifth years had increased dramatically upon their return from the holiday in preparation of their OWLs in the summer.

Sirius, to her grudging relief, had yet to bring up the topic of their discussion the night she had stayed in his bed, but a large possibility of that was simply because she never gave him enough time to put in two words to her. She had tried her best to shake that night off as nothing more than a hallucination, but she knew it was pointless – Sirius had feelings for her, apparently, and was now waiting on her to show her hand. But did she even have a hand to show?

Amidst all the chaos and mystery swirling around her, emotions were the furthest thing from her mind, and she wasn't even sure she felt the same way about him. She wasn't stubborn enough to deny she was attracted to him, but beyond that… His relationship with Marlene was indication enough that he wasn't ready for commitment, and neither was she, so did she want to open a door with him that they may not be able to close again? And what if things went wrong? Where would their friendship be then?

Cassie abruptly shoved back from the table, throwing her quill down atop the pile of homework that was at least as high as the snow outside.

"I'm going to get some air," she said, not waiting for Marlene's response before storming off to the portrait hole and glaring at the third years, who instantly quelled their contest at her dark look.

She clambered out into the corridor, drawing her robes tightly about herself before setting off in the opposite direction of the staircases. For a Sunday, the castle was unusually empty, most students opting to stay in their common rooms rather than risk the draftiness of the corridors, but for this she was grateful. She ambled along the top floors, her thoughts overflowing her brain and bouncing between Will, the locket, Miranda's story, Carlisle, Sirius, and a million other things she didn't know the answers to.

Why had Carlisle been transcribing Miranda's story? And why did she still have that list of the Founders? She had stewed over countless theories during her Defense class when she should have been doing work while Carlisle had gone to pretending she didn't exist, but nothing made sense. The only connection she could figure was that Will had given her the book about Miranda in the first place, but what did their long-dead ancestor have anything to do with it? And why couldn't she figure out what the locket's sodding riddle was?

 _I just want answers,_ she thought miserably as she paced along the seventh-floor corridor, ignoring the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to play the piccolo with his nose across from her. _I want answers to this stupid locket, I want answers to Miranda's story. I want answers, I want answers, I want answers…_

On her third pass, she turned and came to an abrupt halt, blinking rapidly to make sure she wasn't imagining things. But no, something was off. Had that door just appeared out of nowhere?

Cassie approached the door warily, still wondering if she was dreaming or something of the sort. She could have sworn that wall was nothing but blank stone a moment before, but now here it was, boasting a dark wood-paneled door with a tarnished bronze knob, as if it had been there for years.

She tried the knob, discovering that it was unlocked, and she opened the door cautiously, her other hand straying to her robes where her wand was, but she didn't need it. She stepped inside a small, cozy room, not unlike the Gryffindor common room, lit golden by the roaring fire sitting in the hearth. The walls were draped with velvet hangings, the maroon of the material accenting the matching sofa and armchairs and the cherry wood of the furniture.

"What is this place?" Cassie muttered to herself, walking inside and gazing around in bafflement. She had never seen this room before, much less know of its existence – then why was it here, and how did she find it?

She sank carefully onto one of the sofa cushions, finding to her delight that it was as comfortable as it looked, and with the fire before her, she felt as if she could fall asleep right then. But the mystery of the door was now bugging her. Why had it appeared to her? She thought back to what she had been doing before it was revealed. She had been pacing along the corridor, desperately wishing she could find answers to the many riddles in her life. Was it a wishing-room then?

Cassie concentrated, thinking, _I wish I had hot cocoa._ She waited, but nothing happened. Strange. What on earth was the purpose of this room, then?

She curled up on the sofa, resting her head on the arm of it and staring into the bright flames, letting her mind wander. The room didn't seem to pose any threat, and it _was_ comfortable…

The next thing she knew, she was in the forest.

She recognized the dark trees and the smell of rotting leaves, but the well before her was what captured her attention. It was the same well she had seen before in her nightmare about Will and the locket. It shone bone-white in the moonlight streaming through the canopy above, and she stepped forward, only to freeze when she heard rapid footsteps approaching through the underbrush around her.

Despite knowing she was most likely dreaming, she still darted behind a wide-trunked oak, just as two figures entered the clearing, marching toward the well.

She clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp when she recognized the two people, her heart thudding in her chest. One of them was a woman, tall and regal in flowing crimson robes, and her dark hair seemed to swallow the moonlight, her features sharp and calculating. The other was a man who was the opposite of the woman, his hair bright gold and his robes of the same hue, making him to be a sun amongst the night. It was Miranda and her lover from Cassie's previous dream, and she watched in rapture as they stopped before the well.

"I can't believe you were so foolish," Miranda said, and Cassie shivered – even her ancestor's voice resembled her own. She gestured to the well. "There is a curse that lies upon those who betray the Thief. How could you have killed him?"

The man scoffed, shaking his mane of golden hair. "The Thief was the one who crossed me. That curse is his own."

Miranda looked exasperated. "Magic always comes with a price, Godric. I have told you this before."

Cassie started, ducking back behind the tree when a twig snapped under her foot, but they didn't seem to hear her, much to her relief.

Her head was reeling; this man, Miranda's lover, was Godric Gryffindor? The great wizard who had helped found Hogwarts, the patron of her own House?

Miranda reached up and grasped something at her throat, and Cassie saw her locket gleaming there.

"I knew this locket was cursed," she said. "You stole it from his treasure trove once he was dead, did you not?"

At this, Godric looked slightly abashed, but his tone was defensive. "No, I was given it in exchange for my gauntlet. But as he cheated me into the deal, I struck him down and took both the locket and gauntlet back."

"I do not like this, Godric," Miranda admitted, a troubled frown creasing her lips. "Gwarwyn-a-throt was the guardian of this forest; his absence will be deeply felt, and I am afraid many grave consequences will arise from this."

Godric chuckled, stepping forward and wrapping Miranda in his arms.

"You worry too much, my love," he murmured, stroking her hair. "I am fine. No harm shall befall me, nor you."

Miranda still looked worried, but she nodded. "I know."

Godric smiled softly, pressing a kiss to Miranda's forehead, but suddenly something shifted.

The nighttime breeze died as if a man's last breath had left his body, and the trees went eerily still. The air suddenly turned stifling, hot and dry, and Cassie found herself struggling to breathe properly, her lungs seeming to shrink in her chest. The only sound she could hear was her ragged breathing, rattling and crackling, and she tried to hold her breath, praying that whatever was happening would pass. To her intense horror, however, the rattling noise did not stop, and she realized that the sound she was hearing was _slithering._ Something was coming, slinking through the underbrush like a serpent, and her knees began to wobble as soon as she could hear the hissing.

"Go," Godric said, pushing Miranda away from the well. He drew his wand and a ruby-encrusted sword from his side while Miranda stared in the direction of the hissing, frozen in fear. "Run!"

A scintillating voice crept through the trees, a hoarse laugh that made the hair on Cassie's neck stand straight up.

 _"Yesss, run,"_ the voice hissed. _"Only a fool would face me…"_

Sparks shot from Godric's wand as he brandished his sword. "Then face me, coward!" He looked back over his shoulder, and his eyes were ablaze. "Miranda, go!"

Cassie stared at her ancestor, watching her face – so similar to her own – shifting through fear, anger, and resolve, her hand reaching into her robes and extracting her wand. Cassie saw the glint of determination in her eyes, but suddenly that glint faded, Miranda's other hand coming to rest on her lower abdomen and uncertainty filling her gaze.

 _A baby,_ Cassie realized. _Oh, Merlin, she's pregnant…_

Cassie took a step forward – to do what, she didn't know – help? Fight? Flee? But she had barely taken more than a step before the clearing erupted into darkness, and she was thrown to the ground —

Cassie bolted upright, scrambling for her wand before she realized she was back in the cozy room, away from the forest. She was on the floor now – she must have fallen off the couch at some point. She hauled herself to her feet, stowing away her wand.

The room was dreadfully warm, much like the forest had been in her dream, and she pushed her sweaty hair off the back of her neck, breathing deeply and trying to calm her racing heart, though the revelations she had uncovered was making it difficult.

This hadn't been an ordinary dream – that she knew for certain. She had asked for answers, and the room had provided her with a vision to the past, to Miranda and the story of Gryffindor's gauntlet.

Godric had slayed Gwarwyn-a-throt, and in doing so, he had been cursed, though he had managed to obtain both the clockwork locket and his gauntlet once more. Cassie touched the locket sitting on her chest uncomfortably, wondering if it was actually cursed. Remus had said as much before, but had she been wrong to disbelieve him?

But Will had the locket before her. He had been the one to enchant it, and he didn't seem cursed. Yet he hadn't worn it, as far as she could tell, which only made her discomfort increase, but she chose not to dwell on that for the time being, piecing together the rest of the vision before she forgot anything.

The well. She had seen it before in a previous dream, but now she knew that it was the Thief's well. What significance did it possess, though? And why had Godric and Miranda been meeting there?

Miranda… Her mysterious lover had been Godric Gryffindor. Cassie thought back to the passage she had read about Miranda in her book of ancestry, recalling that Miranda had had a child out of wedlock and had refused to name the father. Was Gryffindor the father, then? He had been a mentor of hers once she had graduated Hogwarts, along with Salazar Slytherin. Had the two fallen in love? But why would Miranda have kept it a secret? And that voice…

Cassie shuddered, her blood going cold at the mere remembrance of that awful, harsh voice. What was it? And why had Miranda been so frightened of it? She was already pregnant by that point, of course, but the fear in her eyes…it had been pure, undiluted terror. Miranda had been genuinely afraid of whatever creature was slinking through the trees that night.

Cassie sank back onto the sofa cushions, feeling faint. Her fingers still fiddled with the locket chain, her mind turning gears like the little mechanics inside. Suddenly seized by an idea, she grasped the locket and held it to her lips, her breath warming the ruby there as she whispered, "Sparks."

The locket sprang open at once, and that same haunting, bodiless voice began to speak, sounding exactly as she remembered it:

" _A thousand years' slumber,_

 _In a tomb beyond light,_

 _If Darkness adds to its number,_

 _The world shall fall to night."_

"A tomb beyond light…" Cassie said, testing the words on her tongue. "A thousand years' slumber…" Her mind flashed back to the well, and her heart skipped a beat. Could the well be the tomb Will was referring to? And a thousand years' slumber…could that be the creature? That voice in her dream had sounded so ancient, so powerful. Had it been sleeping for a thousand years? Was that what Carlisle was looking for in the Forbidden Forest?

Cassie leapt to her feet, so many pieces clicking together in her brain. She had to find the others – she had to tell them!

She lurched for the door, yanking it open and dashing into the corridor only to collide with something solid. She landed on the floor painfully, letting out a startled yelp, and she thought with some disgruntlement that her bum was going to be very sore the next day as someone said, "Blimey, Cass, I know I said I'd wait for you, but you don't have to _physically_ throw yourself at me as your answer."

Cassie glared up into the face of a smirking Sirius, not even having the inclination to run away from him screaming when her entire world was exploding anyway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, more rudely than she intended, and his eyes flickered before he shrugged.

"I could ask you the same thing." He gestured to the wall behind her, which had returned once more to solid stone, no evidence that there was even a door there to begin with. "Though it seems that would be a waste of breath, considering that door you just came through."

"Wait, you know about the room too?" she said, dropping her voice, and he nodded.

"Since last year," he said. "There's always been rumors of it, of course – the Come-and-Go Room, the Vanishing Loo, all that rubbish. I personally prefer the Room of Requirement, but I only started calling it that after I finally stumbled upon it and decided that the rumors were true, for once." He snorted. "Bloody helpful, that place is."

"Do the others know about it?"

He shook his head.

"I've been meaning to tell them, but a part of me doesn't want to," he admitted. "It's like my one place of refuge here."

He blinked suddenly, as if forgetting she was there, and his sharp grey eyes focused on her quizzically. "Why are you still on the floor?"

"Because you knocked me down," she answered testily, but she stood up nonetheless, brushing off her clothes.

"Sorry," he said, "but you were the one who ran out of there like a loon in the first place."

"I was in a hurry," she said grumpily, wishing he would stop smirking at her like that.

"For what?"

"To talk to you lot," she said, gesturing him down the corridor after her, and he fell into step easily beside her.

"Is it something to do with the room?" he asked. "How long have you known about it, anyway?"

"I just found it today," she said. "I was frustrated so I started pacing along that corridor, wishing for answers, and when I turned around, the door was there."

"Answers to what?" he said, but she only shook her head, propelling herself towards the Gryffindor common room.

They remained in silence until they reached the portrait hole, when suddenly Sirius reached out and put his hand on her elbow.

"You're not going to tell them about the room, are you?" he asked seriously, and she hesitated upon seeing the look in his eyes. She didn't ask him about why he needed the room as a refuge, but looking at him now, she realized she didn't need to.

"No, I won't tell them about the room," she said, and he visibly relaxed, the soft look in his eyes making her heart thunder and her skin flush. She cleared her throat, turning towards the Fat Lady and managing to croak out, _"Lionheart."_

The portrait swung open, permitting them entrance, and they clambered in, immediately heading for the chairs by the fireplace, where the other Marauders were sat. They were leaning close together, speaking in hushed tones, though they quieted and looked up when they approached.

"Good, you found her," James said, sitting up and readjusting his glasses.

Cassie looked between James and Sirius, confused. "Why were you trying to find me?"

"Because of this." James held up the parchment containing Carlisle's transcribed version of Miranda's story and the original copy in the book, looking extremely pleased with himself. "I managed to translate the rest of the story."

"Let me guess," she said. "Godric completes the three tasks for the Thief, the Thief tricks him into giving up his gauntlet, Godric doesn't like that so he kills the Thief to get his gauntlet back and takes a locket for good measure – which happens to be the one I'm currently wearing – and ends up being cursed by the Thief for the rest of his days?"

All four boys stared at her, unblinking.

"How in the bloody hell did you know that?" Peter asked in awe, and she shrugged, sitting down in between him and Remus.

"The locket Godric took is _yours?"_ Remus said. "But – _how?"_

Cassie told them about her dream while they listened in rapture, their eyes growing wider with every sentence. When she had finished, the four boys exchanged a hard glance before turning back to her.

"So, let's get this straight," James said, spreading his hands. "Miranda's story about Gryffindor's gauntlet is real, and the locket he stole from the Thief is the one that you have, after Will enchanted it. Gryffindor was also Miranda's secret boyfriend or whatever, who was cursed after killing the Thief. The tomb Will refers to in his message could be the well, and this creature – the one Carlisle may be looking for – could have been sleeping there for a thousand years."

"What about the second part of the riddle, though?" Remus asked. "The part about Darkness adding to its number? What is that supposed to mean?"

"Death Eaters?" Peter suggested, but Sirius shook his head.

"Why would Will be warning about Death Eaters if he is one, Pete?"

"Because he's not on their side," Cassie said, interrupting their speculating. "It's like I said before; Will wants me to solve this mystery, and I think it's because he needs help."

They all shared an uncomfortable glance, but Cassie ignored them. She had her own doubts of where exactly Will's allegiance lay, but she was unwilling to discuss that with them, not when she could hold onto some small seedling of hope for her brother.

"We have to find out what's in the forest," she said, and Sirius reeled back as if she had said something profoundly deranged.

"Are you mad?" he demanded. "That place is a deathtrap! Let Carlisle find whatever's in there – good riddance if she dies trying."

"But Will gave the locket to _me,"_ she argued. "I'm the one having the dreams here! And that means I'm the one who's supposed to find what's hidden in there."

"This is crazy," Peter said. He looked to the others in dismay, shaking his head. "You lot realize how delusional this all sounds, right? We're kids! Why do we have to be the ones to deal with weird lockets and bloodthirsty monsters? We should just forget about all this and go back to living normal lives!"

"Aw, c'mon, Pete, I thought you weren't scared of a little adventure?" James teased, and the smaller boy glared at him.

"I'm not," he snapped. "I just think this is all getting to be too much, y'know? I mean, do we even know this isn't some sick, twisted joke?"

"Believe what you want, Peter," Cassie said, standing from her chair and looking down to the mousy boy imperiously. "But I'm going to solve this damn mystery, even if it kills me."

And with that, she turned and went back to her seat with Marlene, conceding that right now, her Transfiguration homework was more important than all the secrets in the world.

* * *

"Hand me the crushed dragonfly wings, please."

Cassie handed over the jar without looking up from the parchment she was doodling on, and Sirius took it from her before dumping the correct measurement into their cauldron. Double Potions was going dreadfully slow that morning, and the fact that they were supposed to be working on Lethargy Potions wasn't making it go by any faster, especially since Cassie was still hesitant to talk to Sirius like she normally would.

"Horned antebellum extract."

Cassie passed over the vial.

Sirius sighed.

"Cass, are you even paying attention? You gave me earwig legs."

Cassie looked over, seeing that she did indeed give him the wrong ingredient. She sighed, taking back the incorrect vial and searching for the right one, scratching her nose with her quill. She found the correct vial and handed it over, only to find Sirius staring at her with a furrowed brow. "What?"

"You're distracted," he said. He leaned in closer, lowering his voice, and she tensed when she caught a whiff of his cologne, her mind blinking back to that night outside the portrait hole. "Is it about your dream?"

Cassie blew out her cheeks in a sigh, nodding.

"It's been bugging me all week," she admitted. "It's like trying to connect dots, but every time I draw a line to one thing, eight more dots pop up." She shook her head, frustrated. "I feel like I'm just missing something so obvious, but I can't figure out _what."_

"It'll come together soon," Sirius said. After a moment of hesitation, he reached over and took her hand in his, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I don't know when, but I believe you can figure it out."

Cassie gave him a soft smile, her heart feeling lighter than it had in days. It had been the first time in two weeks that she didn't want to run away screaming from him, and his eyes softened when he saw her smile.

"Thanks, Sirius," she said. "That means a lot. But I just can't help thinking…" She trailed off, shrugging, and he squeezed her hand again, her heart jumping a little in response.

"What?" he urged.

"Something Peter said on Sunday," she said. "About wondering if this is all some elaborate joke. I feel like this is all important, but at the same time…what if it isn't? What if Will really is doing this because he just doesn't care? Just to rattle my cage or something?" She shook her head again, raking her hair out of her face. "I'm just not sure what to believe anymore."

"I see a lot more talking than brewing back there, Mr. Black and Miss Alderfair!" Professor Slughorn said jovially from his desk, and the two jumped at the sound of his booming voice, Cassie retracting her hand from Sirius's grip on reflex.

"Sorry, Professor," the two said in unison, before going back to their potion. Once it was the correct shade of cerulean, Sirius set down the scales, looking back to Cassie.

"I'm going to be honest, Cassie," he said. "I don't know the answers to this. But one thing I know is that you won't give up, no matter what the outcome is. You're stubborn, Merlin knows, but it makes you the most determined person I know. If anyone can solve Will's riddle, it's you."

Cassie couldn't help smiling at him, her chest swelling with gratitude. "I hope so. Also, you're on fire."

The dark-haired Marauder smirked, a roguish look coming over his features. "Why thank you. I do look rather dashing today — "

"No, I mean you're _actually_ on fire."

Sirius looked down only to find his sleeve ablaze, having perched it to close to the fire beneath the cauldron, and he let out a frightened yelp, standing up so abruptly his stool crashed to the floor.

"Merlin's bloody staff!" he cried, yanking out his wand as the class collectively turned to watch him frantically dancing around with his flaming sleeve. _"Aguamenti! Aguamenti!"_

The water doused his sleeve, killing the fire, and after a moment of shocked silence, the classroom erupted with laughter. After a few seconds Sirius joined in, striding over to James to no doubt perform an overdramatic reenactment of the ordeal while Professor Slughorn half-heartedly attempted to calm the class down, though he was still chuckling, as well.

Cassie continued to giggle, though her mirth was immediately quelled when another body slid onto the now-upright stool next to her.

"Well, that was quite the spectacle."

Avery looked as dark and unruffled as ever, and Cassie stiffened in her seat. The last time she had spoken to Avery had been at Slughorn's party before Christmas, and the handsome Slytherin had left her with vague answers she had been mulling over for months ever since.

"Can I help you with something, Avery?" she asked, her voice calm and controlled, and he smirked faintly.

"Perhaps you can," he replied smoothly, and she cocked a brow. "Oh?"

"You've been digging," he said, "and it's been setting off many red flags."

"Digging into what?" she asked, going back to doodling on her parchment.

Avery leaned in, placing his palm flat on the table, and she paused in her drawing, eyeing his pale hand warily.

"I'm not saying it here," he breathed, so close his breath fanned her face. She flicked her eyes up to see if anyone was watching, but no one was paying attention to them, Sirius captivating the class with his recount of the event that just transpired.

"Then what are you saying?" she said.

"We need to talk," he said. "Tomorrow, before the Quidditch match. Meet me in the Entrance Hall, and then we can speak freely."

Cassie deliberated for a moment, sizing him up, before finally nodding.

"Fine," she said. "Come prepared with answers, though; I have a lot of questions."

He inclined his head back. "Fair enough. Tomorrow, then."

He went back to his seat next to James unnoticed, and Cassie began to stir her potion, remaining silent for the rest of the lesson.

When the bell rang, Professor Slughorn let them go, bidding them farewell and reminding them of the Valentine's party he was throwing the coming Tuesday. Cassie walked out of the dungeons with the Marauders, not speaking until Remus nudged her shoulder.

"You all right, Cass?" he asked, and she forced a smile, giving the sandy-haired boy a nod.

"Yeah, fine," she said, and he grinned back, not noticing the way her eyes drifted from his face to seek Avery's form, just ahead of them.

Avery turned back at the last second as he whisked around the corner leading to the Slytherin common room, and she saw the flash of his shockingly blue eyes before he was gone, lost in the sea of faces between them.

* * *

The Great Hall was a drone of chatter when Cassie walked in with the girls the next morning, talk and speculation of the looming Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff match all anyone could speak of. The four Gryffindor girls took their usual seats at the table, chatting quietly and beginning to eat as the Hall swelled with more and more people.

"Hopefully this match is short," Marlene said, dumping a generous amount of gravy onto her plate. "This weather is dreadful."

Cassie looked up after spooning a bite of porridge into her mouth, seeing that Marlene was right; the enchanted sky depicted a swirling mass of grey clouds, and icy sleet could be seen lashing the windows outside.

"I just hope Gryffindor wins," Lily said, perusing her copy of _The Daily Prophet,_ but she glanced up when everyone stared at her. "What?"

"Since when do you care about Quidditch?" Alice asked incredulously, and the red-haired witch huffed.

"I don't," she said. "But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to want us to win!"

She went back to reading her newspaper, and Alice leaned in close to Cassie.

"Who d'you reckon she's got her eye on?" she whispered, and Cassie shrugged.

"You can never know with her," she whispered back. "Perhaps she just woke up this morning with a newfound attraction to the Snitch."

Alice snorted into her goblet, spraying pumpkin juice everywhere, and Cassie laughed as Marlene and Lily were left to clean up the mess with varying expressions of disgust. However, her laughter was cut short when suddenly two people slid onto the bench on either side of her, forcing Alice to scoot over with a scowl as two more figures sat across from her, though with much more courtesy and leaving Lily and Marlene seated together.

"Morning, princess," James said, clapping her on the shoulder with his arrogant grin already in place. "Enjoying breakfast?"

"I was," she said, raising her brows pointedly as she ate another spoonful of her porridge. "Why aren't you sitting with the team?"

"Prongs misses you terribly," Remus cut in before James could say anything. "He's devoted to you, Cassie; some might even say he's obsessed."

Cassie snorted as James slung an arm around her shoulder.

"Maybe I am, Moony," he said. "But can you blame me? Our princess is one-of-a-kind!"

"Gross, James, get off," Cassie said, shoving the lanky boy's arm back to his side. "Stuff your adoration for when I'm not eating."

James pouted. "Well, if you're gonna be like that, Cass, I guess I'll just find someone new." He pivoted in his seat to face Lily, who was studiously ignoring the boy in front of her and pretending to be interested in whatever article she was reading, though Cassie could see that her eyes weren't moving. "What d'you say, Evans?"

"Save it for someone who actually _likes_ you, Potter," she retorted. "Though that might be a challenge, considering how annoying you are."

"Evans, you wound me," James said, pressing a hand to his heart, and Cassie rolled her eyes. Once James got going with Lily, there was no stopping them, so she turned to Sirius instead, who was seated between her and Alice.

"Ready for the match?" she asked him, pushing a goblet of pumpkin juice towards him once she saw that he wasn't eating.

He gave her a sidelong glance, having noticed her action, but he accepted the goblet anyway with a casual shrug. "It's Hufflepuff; we'll be scraping them off the field once we're done with them."

Cassie wrinkled her nose at the image that provided. "You should at least eat an apple or something, get some energy in you."

He quirked a half-grin at her, the one that always made her stomach swoop nowadays, but she ignored it, instead watching him reach for the bowl of apples and taking one.

"Whatever you say, Mum," he teased, taking a bite, and she rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help smiling. It seemed that the awkwardness that had been plaguing them for the last few weeks had dissipated, but whatever strange feelings that still lingered in her gut had not, to her disappointment.

They ate in comfortable silence, though Cassie kept glancing to him out of the corner of her eyes frequently, observing him. He looked wonderfully tousled that morning, his hair falling in waves and framing his strong jaw and high cheekbones, and his eyes were bright, alert. She watched him take another bite of his apple and wondered what it would have been like if he had kissed her that one night: How would his lips have felt pressed against hers? His hands holding her to him? Her fingers knotted in his hair?

That same heat from earlier began to pulse through her, and she quickly took a drink from her goblet, hoping no one had noticed how red her face had suddenly become.

"Well, time for us to go," James announced, getting to his feet. Cassie looked around, watching him shove a last piece of bacon into his mouth while Lily glared at him, indignant. Thankfully she had missed the end of their bickering, though she would no doubt hear all about it later.

Sirius made to get to his feet, but Cassie put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"Good luck," she said. "I know you'll be great."

Sirius grinned at her, despite looking slightly bewildered by her sudden encouragement.

"I always am," he said, winking at her, and on some erratic impulse, Cassie leaned forward and pecked him lightly on the cheek.

He looked delightfully startled when she pulled away and went back to her porridge, her face burning, and only after several prompts from James did he get up and leave, abandoning her to the circling sharks who had witnessed the exchange.

"Cassiopeia Alderfair, what the bloody hell was that?" Marlene demanded, and Cassie grimaced, though her friend's eyes were sparkling. "When did this development happen?"

"Did you just… _kiss_ Sirius Black?" Alice asked, as if trying to put the pieces in order.

"Sirius Black," Lily echoed incredulously. _"Sirius Black?"_

"Did I miss something?" Remus asked, looking between them all in confusion. "What just happened?"

"Anyone want the rest of the bacon?" Peter asked.

"I was wishing him luck," Cassie said, ignoring Remus and Peter and shrugging. "'S not a big deal."

"I wished Potter luck by telling him to shove his broomstick up his arse," Lily said.

"Two totally different things, Lils," Alice pointed out.

"Curious," Marlene said, her blue eyes raking over Cassie intently. "I'd heard dear old Sirius has gone off the market for a while – could this be why?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Cassie said coolly. "Pete, pass the bacon."

"Er…sorry, Cass. I already ate it."

"Don't change the subject!" Marlene said. "Cassie, are you and Sirius — "

"Merlin's sake, there is no me and Sirius!" Cassie said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "And there never will be, as far as I'm concerned. Now, shove off, please."

The five all shared a glance that Cassie ignored, keeping her gaze focused on her bowl as she finished the last of her breakfast. What had she been thinking? First with the kiss, and now with this?

She could never be with Sirius. He was a Marauder, one of Hogwarts's elite, and no matter what she did, how much she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was still the Invisible Girl, with the Death Eater for a brother. Whatever infatuation she had with him, whatever illusion she was under, she had to put a stop to it. Some things were never meant to be, and unfortunately, she and Sirius fell under that category.

She remained silent as they made their way out to the Quidditch pitch, but she had barely set foot into the Entrance Hall when a hand grabbed her arm and whisked her behind a shadowy pillar.

"I see you already forgot about our little meeting," Avery said, jerking his chin to her friends as they exited through the great double doors. "Or were you just planning on leaving me hanging?"

"Oh, stop whining, Avery," she snapped, tugging her arm out of his grasp. "I'm here, aren't I?"

He inclined his head to her, sliding his hands into his pockets. "So you are. My apologies, Cassie."

She sighed, crossing her arms. "What do you want, Avery? Let's get this over with."

"Not here." He looked around before beckoning her after him with a finger. After a moment of hesitation, she followed him, down the staircases that led to the dungeons. For a wild second, she thought he meant to take her into the Slytherin common room, but he turned at the intersection where Professor Slughorn's classroom was, leading her to a door she never spared a second thought to that she passed every day.

He led her inside, and to her surprise she entered an empty classroom, one that Hogwarts obviously never utilized anymore, going by the amounts of cobwebs and the thick layer of dust coating the place. The only source of light came from the torches in the hall outside, and the dust muted her footsteps as she walked further inside.

"What is this?" she asked. "It's like it hasn't been used in years."

"It hasn't," Avery said from behind her, his voice soft. "It's one of the Bloody Baron's favorite hideouts nowadays, but several hundred years ago it was a classroom. Hogwarts stopped using it when it began to flood every few days or so, but rather than fixing it they just started utilizing the other dungeons instead."

He closed the door, plunging them into darkness, and Cassie reached into her robes, pulling out her wand and muttering, _"Lumos."_

She watched as Avery crossed over to a lamp and lit it with his wand, casting the room in eerie firelight, and she extinguished her wandlight. She opened her mouth, about to ask what he wanted to talk about, before the door opened again, and in walked Regulus Black.

Cassie whirled on Avery. "What is _he_ doing here?"

She jabbed an accusing finger at the younger Black, but Avery was unconcerned, instead addressing Black. "You were nearly late."

Black shrugged carelessly. "I had to find a way to get rid of Sloane and Vanity; they wouldn't leave me alone." His gaze traveled over to where Cassie was standing, her hand near her pocket warily, and he sneered. "Besides, I'm still not convinced that talking to my brother's unrequited love is in our best interest."

"No one said you had to stay," Cassie said waspishly, avoiding the younger Black's nettled comment about her and his brother.

Avery looked to Black with raised brows. "She's right, Reg. You can leave, but I think you know what will happen if you do."

Black shrugged again, but he did not move, instead choosing to take a seat at one of the ancient desks.

Cassie looked back to Avery. "Any more surprise guests I should be aware of?"

Avery shook his head, grabbing one of the decrepit chairs and murmuring, _"Scourgify."_ Instantly the grime was cleaned off it, and he sat down, Cassie adamantly remaining standing.

"Word spread about your little jaunt to Carlisle's office," he began without preamble. "We know you found something; what was it?"

"Why in Godric's name would I tell you two?" she demanded. "I know some of the Slytherins are working with her, and you two have made it very clear that you're involved somehow."

The two Slytherins traded a glance before Avery turned back to her.

"Yes, we are involved," he said. "But not in the way you think."

She glared at them, unmoving. "Explain."

Avery sighed, looking back to Black, who remained expressionless, before turning to her once more.

"Carlisle is a Death Eater," he said, and Cassie's heart jumped. She had been right! "Dumbledore knows, but he foolishly thinks that he can trust her after she spouted some sob story about being a defector."

"Bloody fool," Black mumbled, but Avery continued as if he hadn't said anything.

"She came to Hogwarts with the purpose of finding something," he said. "We're not sure what, but she only said that it was something of value to Gryffindor. She's spent this whole year trying to look for it, but she's had no luck so far. That's why she started to recruit us – " he gestured to himself and Black – "those of us who either have Death Eater ties or are interested in becoming one ourselves."

"And what are you two?" she demanded.

Avery smiled ruefully, merely tugging up the sleeve of his left arm and exposing to her nothing but pale flesh. "My father is one, which is why she came to me. Regulus…"

"That's none of your business, Gryffindor," he spat, and she narrowed her eyes, but decided to let it go, instead turning back to Avery.

"So, that extra credit wasn't really extra credit after all," she said, and he looked sheepish.

"No, but I'm sure you guessed that already." She nodded. "Anyway, she recruited select students to begin researching Gryffindor and the rest of the Founders for her, but considering how much she tells us – which is nothing – it's been understandably difficult. The only reason why we know as much as we do is because we're smart enough to put the pieces together."

"That still doesn't explain why you two are talking to me," she interrupted. Black audibly sighed, and she shot him a glare that he ignored.

"You're the only one who's a step ahead of Carlisle," Avery said. "You have answers, and we may have information that could get you more."

"But why help me?" she demanded. "I'm sure Carlisle and your Death Eater-aspiring friends won't be pleased if they found out about this."

"Oh, trust me, they won't," Avery said, with a touch of sardonic humor. "Which is why we're counting on you not to tell anyone about this – including those insufferable Gryffindor idiots you insist on calling friends."

"Why not?" she said – which was stupid. Of course she knew why she couldn't tell them.

"I'm inclined to believe that they won't be pleased with you if they found out you spoke to us on your own."

She should have turned and walked out right then. She had promised James that there would be no more secrets. But this was _her_ mystery, and she didn't need their permission to speak to whoever she wanted. It was that thought that stayed her resolve, and she grudgingly nodded at Avery.

"Why are you helping me?" she repeated.

Again, the two Slytherins traded a glance, though Black rolled his eyes and scoffed after several seconds.

"Carlisle is losing it," Avery said. "She's let this task go to her head. It was on the Dark Lord's orders that she came here and accepted the Defense Against the Dark Arts position so she could station herself closer to finding whatever artifact he's looking for, and her lack of progress shows to him. She's obsessed with becoming his most trusted lieutenant, but with nothing in her arsenal, she's left on the outer circle, trying to win back his favor. It's making her paranoid and volatile, and she's begun to threaten the students under her sway if they don't find anything useful to her."

Now that she thought about it, Carlisle _had_ been off lately. Ever since she and Sirius had snuck into her office she had been acting strangely, but Cassie would never have guessed that it was because of You-Know-Who.

"So that's why you need me?" she asked drily. "So she doesn't punish you?"

Avery shook his head in frustration. "You're not listening, Cassie. We're trying to help _you."_

"But why? So Carlisle can torture me once I find what she's looking for and take it for her own?"

"Merlin, you're stupid," Black scoffed, and Cassie whirled on him angrily. His grey eyes, duller than his brother's, bored into her as she scowled, but his haughty expression remained the same as he addressed her. "Your bloody brother is giving you clues left and right, Gryffindor, but you're still stuck with your head in the sand! The Dark Lord is planning something with whatever he's looking for – something incredibly Dark. Your brother wants to find the artifact before the Dark Lord does to prevent whatever it is he's planning – that's why he's using you as his secret weapon. To the Dark Lord, you're untouchable – you can do whatever and he would have no idea."

"That's why he gave me the locket," Cassie said aloud. "And the book."

Black nodded sullenly. "If you were the one to find the artifact before Carlisle, you could get rid of it before she ever even knew you had it. The Dark Lord's plan would ground to a halt, and your brother could escape before he even bothered to look in the direction of his devoted servant."

Cassie was staggered. "This whole time… Will… He was helping me…"

"He's taking a stand against the Dark Lord," Avery said, his eyes shining. "He's giving hope to all of us who had no choice but to follow him or become a Death Eater."

"He's giving hope to you," Cassie realized, looking between the two. "You don't want to become Death Eaters."

"Of course not," Black snapped. "Anyone who calls himself a 'Dark Lord' can kiss my arse."

Avery grinned faintly, but he nodded. "I wouldn't have put it in those exact terms, but essentially, yes."

Cassie nodded, her throat oddly tight. Finding out that Will was on her side… There were no words to describe it. She had been right. Her brother wanted out, and he wanted to send You-Know-Who off with the biggest middle finger while he did it. She had been right.

She looked up, staving off tears as she met the eyes of the two Slytherins. "What do you need me to do?"

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **So, a lot went down in this chapter. From here on out things are going to keep piling on, so get your thinking caps ready. And food for thought: have your opinions on Carlisle and Will changed since reading this chapter?**

 **Next Chapter: _The Deadly Valentine_**

 ***Author's Note: I know it's canon that Regulus becomes a Death Eater, but I've been toying with this idea for a while now and I'm just gonna go with it. Wherever it leads us, it leads us.***

 **xx**


	27. The Deadly Valentine

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Good news: this is the fastest I have ever updated this story! Bad news: this probably won't ever happen again! But one can always hope, eh? Anyway, read on, and stay tuned at the bottom for an important A/N.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: Cae-Leigh Anne, 19irene96, HannahBananasxx, heroherondaletotherescue, HPuni101, tennismaniac19, Raven that flies at night, Blissangel91494, NyxPonderosa, wickedgrl123, Damnson (Guest), Guest 1, and Guest 2!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Deadly Valentine

"How…to…kill…a…vampire…by…James…Potter."

The bespectacled boy looked up only to find Remus giving him a judgmental look. "What? It's a brilliant essay title!"

"Yes, for a first-year," Remus said drily. "Are you really going to write something like that on your O.W.L?"

"They're not going to care about the title," James said defensively. "It's what's in the essay that they're going to be grading, and as long as I have all the information, it's practically 'Outstanding' quality already!"

Remus still looked dubious, and the messy-haired Marauder sighed. "Fine. I'll change it, but just for you, Moony."

"I knew I was wrong to think I was the only one special to you, James," Cassie said, grinning teasingly as she glanced up from her own essay. In response, James wadded up his parchment and tossed it at her. Cassie stuck out her tongue at him.

"Behave, you two," Remus warned, nudging the inkpot he was sharing with Cassie away from her as she eyed it deviously. "We're in the library; Pince could see anything and throw us out."

"So?" the dark-haired witch said. Sirius flicked his eyes up briefly from where he was writing to see her grinning at Remus, and something twinged in his chest at the sight. "Let her toss us out; I hate being cooped up in here as it is."

Peter snorted, taking his quill out of his mouth and halting his nervous chewing. "I'm not going back to the common room until all those girls have gone to bed. It's a bloody nightmare in there."

Cassie laughed. "It's the night before Valentine's, Pete! They're just doing a bit of decorating."

The mousy boy made a face. "There's pink everywhere! And don't forget those stupid little Cupids they've put up!"

"Well, I think they're cute," she said matter-of-factly, as if her opinion was the end of the conversation, and Peter made another face at her back.

"I thought you hated Valentine's?" James asked her, and she raised her brows.

"Where do you get off on that idea?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. I've seen you with Lily all these years; you never seemed to like it much."

"I don't like the craze behind it," she said, "or all the cheesy gifts and terrible poems. But I love the chocolate." They all shared a grin, and she scratched her arm awkwardly. "It's just hard to get into it when you've never had a Valentine."

James gaped at her. "You _what?"_

She frowned when all the boys stared at her. "Er, I've never had a Valentine." Her frown deepened when no one said anything. "What? Is it really that surprising?"

"Honestly? A little bit," Remus said, and she gave him a quizzical look. "I always figured, since you ran with Lily and Marlene…"

She laughed. "You figured that since I ran with two of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts that I would get a Valentine by default?" She shook her head, though Sirius noticed that she wasn't bothered by the assumption. "It doesn't really work like that."

"Sure it does," James said. "It's how Wormtail's gotten one every year."

Peter looked indignant. "Oi!"

Cassie laughed again. "Don't look so bothered on my behalf! I'm quite used to it by now."

"You shouldn't be," Sirius said, speaking up for the first time since they had sat down to write their essays a half-hour ago. He didn't know why this conversation was annoying him so much, but watching Cassie laugh it off was making him more irritable. "You're just as pretty as Evans or Marlene, and you're funny, and smart…"

He trailed off when everyone's eyes turned to him, their expressions ranging from incredulous to embarrassed, the latter on Cassie's part. James, however, was gazing at him thoughtfully, and Sirius could see the gears turning in his best mate's head, and he grimaced, knowing there would be no escaping _that_ conversation later.

"Er, thanks, Sirius," Cassie said, her face pink, and they stared at each other for a long moment until Remus cleared his throat.

"Pince is coming," he said, lowering his voice. "Pretend to work."

Sirius dropped his eyes back to his essay, feigning reading it over for mistakes, but his eyes were unmoving. It took him a few moments to realize why he was so irritated, but it wasn't at Cassie's lack of Valentine's – it was at _himself._ He had thrown himself into Quidditch and schoolwork since coming back to Hogwarts, and with the mystery of the locket and thoughts of the future constantly plaguing his mind, Valentine's Day had entirely slipped through his consciousness. It had always been a dreadful holiday – for him, at least, with his voracious horde of admirers – but he hadn't even thought to give Cassie anything. If she even _wanted_ anything from him.

He had been trying to decipher her for weeks now, but he wasn't getting anywhere with her. One minute she was cool as ice towards him, and the next she was kissing him on the cheek for good luck (which he hoped she would do more often – he felt that he had played his best game so far, and Gryffindor had absolutely flattened Hufflepuff in their match). He was smart enough to realize that perhaps his timing had been off, but could he blame himself for not realizing his feelings sooner? That interest for her had always been there, and only later came the desire, to feel her body against his, to touch her bare skin, to hear her moaning his name… But was that all he wanted? Or was there something more to what he wanted?

He couldn't ponder further, for just then he felt something tickling the inside of his ear, and he yelped, slapping the offending object away, which happened to be Peter and his damned quill.

The blond boy was doubled over in silent laughter, tears making his eyes more watery than normal, and Sirius scowled.

"Why can't you act your age instead of being a child?" he snapped. "Grow up, Wormtail."

Peter stopped laughing instantly, his face falling, but Sirius stood up abruptly, shoving his things into his bag.

"Sirius, mate — " James said, but he was already striding for the door, Madam Pince glaring at his back the whole way.

He stalked out of the library and down the corridor, his blood boiling. What was wrong with him lately? he wondered. It was like every tiny thing would set him off without warning, and he'd been like that for weeks, ever since returning to school. The drama with Jennifer Flynn and Marlene had only made it worse, but he had tried his best not to show his frustration in front of his friends. The only person who had seen him crack had been Cassie after that one day in the broom cupboard, and he wasn't keen on slipping up again. He had to get control of himself.

"Sirius. Sirius!"

He stopped walking, only because it was Cassie's voice that was shouting after him. He turned, seeing her march up to him looking half-worried, half-exasperated.

"What was that?" she demanded. "You really upset Peter."

"Sorry," he said gruffly. "I dunno what's gotten into me lately; perhaps it's the weather."

"Don't give me that," she said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, what's bothering you?"

"Everything and everyone in this bloody school," he mumbled, starting down the corridor again and being only marginally surprised when she fell into step beside him.

"But you love Hogwarts," she said, bewildered, and he only grunted. She was silent for a moment, then: "You're restless. You're thinking about the war, about fighting. Aren't you?"

He stared at her, only managing to give a tight nod of affirmation. Since when did she get to know him so well? It was like she was searching through his head with those dark eyes of hers, picking apart his brain until she found exactly what she was looking for. He couldn't help but scoff to himself; try as she might to hide her pure-blood roots, there was no escaping them. Her perception was sharp and razor-like, the way all pure-bloods were taught to navigate the world – the way _he_ was taught to navigate the world.

"Of course I'm thinking it," he said. "You saw the paper this morning."

In fact, the whole school had seen that morning's _Daily Prophet,_ the front page splayed with a blaring headline that reported the murder of another Muggle family in Ireland – executed by the Death Eaters, by Cassie's brother, though they hadn't named him. He tried hard for her sake not to rope her brother in with the rest of them, but after what had happened the year before and the reports of more and more attacks, it was hard to keep his opinion of the git unbiased.

"I did," she said, her expression sad. "But we're not soldiers, Sirius; we're still students! What good would we do on a battlefield at our age?" She sighed, raking her hair from her face. "Who knows? Maybe by the time we graduate this war will be over. But we can't do anything about it right now."

He clenched his teeth, knowing she would say that.

"But what if we could?" he demanded. "What if we left, and just went to fight? At least then I'd feel like I was doing something instead of sitting behind a desk twiddling my thumbs and ignoring what's happening." He let out a growl of frustration. "You're the only one who understands, Cass – we're pure-bloods, with families that are supporting these crimes! Wouldn't you want to make a difference, to show everyone that you weren't like the rest of your ruddy family?"

"Having your actions define you and charging into a war unprepared are two _very_ different things, Sirius," she said, and he noticed then that she looked frightened. "You can be your own person without having to prove yourself constantly. As long as you know who you are, other people will know too."

He scrubbed his hands through his hair and over his face, having the strong desire to punch something within that moment.

"That's not all," she said, studying him carefully. "There's something else going on, Sirius, I can tell."

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day."

He said the words in a rush, sagging against the wall in defeat. His inkpot clinked against the stone where it hit, but other than that small noise, the corridor was silent for several heartbeats.

"What?" Cassie blinked at him owlishly, confusion on her face. "I mean, yes, it is, but you're…worried about Valentine's Day?"

"No," he said. "Wait, yes – _no,_ only like, one aspect of it — "

He looked to her helplessly. "I'm losing it, Cass. I'm literally going mad."

"No, you're not," she said with a slight grin. "You're just stressed, and it's making you restless. No one can fault you for that."

"How are you handling everything so well?" he asked. "You're the one who should be the most stressed of all of us."

Her face darkened at his question, and he suddenly felt like a berk for asking.

"Trust me, I'm barely holding on," she said, and her hand reached for the locket unconsciously, a habit he noticed she had gotten into ever since putting it on. She opened her mouth, as if to say more, but she closed it again, frowning into the distance.

"I didn't get you anything for Valentine's," he blurted out, if only to get that wretched look off her face; he couldn't stand it – he couldn't stand her looking so worn and sad. "That's the other reason why I was mad."

She stared blankly at him. "Why would you get me something for Valentine's?"

"I think you know why."

He watched her mask slide into place, the one she always wore whenever she didn't want anyone to see her emotions, and he felt something in his chest pinch uncomfortably.

"Oh," was all she said.

His eyes narrowed.

 _Fine. If she won't say anything, then I won't._

"Just answer one thing for me, Cassie," he said, and he hid his amusement when she began to fidget. "Er…"

"It's a simple question," he assured, and she nodded warily. "Would you snog me?"

There was a pregnant pause.

"Would I…?"

She trailed off, looking like a deer in wandlight, and Sirius couldn't hide his smirk any longer.

"You heard correctly, Cassie Alderfair. Would you snog me?"

She opened and closed her mouth several times, gaping and face burning red, but after a few moments he decided to take pity on her.

He pushed off the wall, leaning closer to her, and though she tensed, she did not move away, keeping her dark eyes locked on him.

"Tomorrow, after Slughorn's party," he said, so close his breath blew back a few wisps of hair from her face. "Sneak out at midnight and come find me at the top of the Astronomy Tower."

"For what?" Her voice was pleasantly airy, and he had to fight the urge to close the gap between them right then.

He winked at her. "You'll find out."

And with that, he began to make his way down the corridor at a leisurely pace, sliding his hands into his pockets and enjoying the image of a truly speechless Cassie Alderfair in his head.

* * *

Valentine's Day was a nightmare dressed as a gauzy pink and red daydream, as Cassie saw it, and she fought the urge to gag when she walked into the common room the next morning after being overpowered by a floral scent so indistinct she couldn't even tell what flower it was supposed to smell like.

"Merlin, this is almost worse than a Dungbomb," Alice wheezed, her eyes watering. "I might have to get my nose replaced after this."

"Ugh, _boys,"_ Lily said, ripping a floating Cupid decoration out of the air that someone had pinned an engorged body part on to. "Why do they have to make everything so… _barbaric?"_

"Obviously Valentine's is too damaging to their masculinity," Marlene said drily, assisting Lily as they began to pull inappropriate decorations out of the air.

"Honestly, who would draw breasts on a Cupid?" Lily cried in anguish, staring in horror at the cherub she had just plucked off the couch.

No one answered, for just then there was the sound of thundering footsteps, and the Marauders emerged from the boys' staircase, laughing uproariously at some joke.

"Nice knockers, Evans!" James called as they made for the portrait hole, and Lily's face flamed crimson, quickly whisking the busty Cupid decoration behind her back.

Cassie bit back a smirk at the murderous expression on her friend's face, her eyes following the Marauders out of the common room. She tried not to feel too disappointed when Sirius didn't meet her gaze before scolding herself for wanting to lock eyes with him anyway. She wasn't some silly first-year, for Merlin's sake.

As she helped the girls clear out the rest of the defaced decorations, her mind drifted back to what had happened yesterday in the corridor with Sirius. She had sensed his moodiness for quite some time now, and after everything that had happened over the holiday and since arriving back to the castle, it wasn't hard to figure out why he was behaving so strangely. And then his offer to meet him…

Cassie's cheeks burned unconsciously, her heart fluttering. What did he possibly want to meet her for? And why at the top of the Astronomy Tower? She wasn't stupid; she knew that the tower was used for couples all over Hogwarts for a private place to snog, but was that all he wanted from her? Just to snog her? The notion made her feel…disenchanted, though she couldn't explain why.

"That's the last of them," Alice said, tossing a sizeable collection of Cupids into the bin. "Let's go down before we miss breakfast."

They entered the Great Hall a short while later, taking their places at the table and beginning to eat. Cassie and Lily kept their focus on their plates, not having much interest in the conversation Marlene and Alice were having about who was getting Valentine's from whom.

"Kurt Stebbins just gave Rosalie Dupont a bouquet of roses."

"Seriously? I can smell the fakeness coming off those from over here."

"Look at Emma Vanity; she's practically preening."

"Ugh, why would anyone give the Slytherins Valentine's?"

Marlene huffed out a breath. "Here we go. The Marauders' fan club has arrived."

Cassie looked up despite herself, indeed seeing a horde of girls – both younger and older – crowding around the four boys with trilling laughter and squealing, each one holding some extravagant Valentine in their hands.

The boys were polite enough, from what she could tell, and though they looked bemused they accepted the Valentine's graciously and with charm. James grinned at a third-year Hufflepuff who had just given him a lifetime supply of Chocolate Frogs, and Cassie swore the girl nearly fainted. Remus and Peter were getting their own Valentine's, as well, and the sight made her snort, especially when she overheard a sixth-year Ravenclaw asking if Remus would go on a date with her, to which he looked shocked but pleased.

She didn't hear his answer, for just then she managed to get a glimpse of Sirius amidst his throng of admirers, and she noticed that his pile of Valentine's was significantly larger than the others'. Her amused smile twisted into a scowl when she saw Zella Knightley, the evil Gryffindor who had attacked her last term, amongst the flocking girls, and she watched as she handed Sirius a large box of Cauldron Cakes, tossing her platinum hair the whole time.

To his credit, Sirius seemed to recognize her, and he only gave her a cold nod in return, saying something that made her eyes widen and her face flush with anger and mortification. Cassie watched in confusion as she stormed out of the Great Hall, several of her friends reluctantly hurrying after her, casting furtive glances back over their shoulders to Sirius, who was not paying attention.

"Er, excuse me, but I'm supposed to deliver these to a Lily Evans and a Marlene McKinnon?"

A nervous-looking second-year had approached them, his arms stuffed with several bouquets and parcels, and he handed them over in relief as Lily and Marlene accepted their usual Valentine's hauls.

"I would hate to have that job," Alice said as the boy continued on, handing out more Valentine's. "Why can't people just give their Valentine's in person anymore?"

"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," was Cassie's only reply, as she had already begun rifling through Lily and Marlene's sweets and selecting what she wanted.

"Where's Frank, Alice?" Marlene said, suddenly looking up from reading one of her cards. "Didn't he get you anything?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but he gave it to me last night when we were alone. Said it was much more romantic."

"That is romantic," Lily agreed, setting aside her fifth bouquet of lilies with a grimace.

"What'd Snape get you?" Cassie said, nodding to Lily's pile, and she winced.

"Lilies, of course," she said, gesturing to the flowers wrapped in silver and green paper. "They're the only ones unsigned, but it's always been that way."

"You need to let him down sooner rather than later, Lils," Alice said, shaking her head. "He's always going to think he has a chance otherwise."

Lily looked troubled, her forehead creasing. "I know, I know."

"I'll be back," Cassie announced, standing up. "I'm going to see if the blokes have any Sugar Quills."

She left her friends to divvy up their remaining Valentine's and walked over to the Marauders, squeezing her bum onto the bench next to Remus.

"All right, cough up," she said. "This witch needs some Sugar Quills in her life."

"Here, take mine," Peter said, tossing her a variety box. "I hate them."

Cassie immediately took one out and stuck it into her mouth, sighing at the wonderful taste. She gestured to their piles. "Anything you don't want, give to me."

She began creating her own pathetically small pile from whatever they tossed her way, and only when she was satisfied with the number of Pumpkin Pasties and Sugar Quills did she tell them to stop.

"No Valentine's, then?" James asked, and she shook her head, continuing to suck on her quill.

"Well, good thing we're changing that," Remus said, and she looked at him quizzically when he waved his wand, the tip sprouting a lavish bouquet of white flowers.

"Happy Valentine's, Cass," he said, handing her the flowers, and she stared at him in awe. "It's from all of us."

"How did you do that?"

He shrugged, looking modest. "Basic spell I taught myself a few weeks ago. Nothing too fancy."

She took the flowers and inhaled their sweet scent. "What are they?"

"White chrysanthemums," he said. "My mum told me about them a long time ago; they're supposed to resemble truth and loyal love."

"And also, roses were too cliché," James added, and she laughed, wrapping Remus in a hug.

"Thank you," she said. "I love them."

After thanking the rest, they went back to eating, but Cassie glanced to Sirius when she felt his eyes on her. He smirked from across her, his hair falling into his face, and she quashed the sudden urge to run her fingers through it.

"I saw that Zella girl run out of here," she said, quirking a brow. "Looked a right mess, too; what'd you say to her?"

Sirius smirked, taking a swig of pumpkin juice before answering. "She asked me if I would escort her to Slughorn's party tonight."

Cassie choked on her scone. "She _what?"_

"Terrible, isn't it?" He grinned. "I told her that I wouldn't take her to Slughorn's party even if it was a choice between her and Hagrid. Guess she didn't like that too much."

"That's horrible, Sirius," she said, though her pleased smile ruined the effect.

He shrugged carelessly. "She jinxed you and never apologized. She should be glad that I didn't just hex her instead."

Cassie grinned into her goblet, contributing the warmth she could feel spreading through her chest to the coffee she had drank and not Sirius's dazzling smile.

Ten minutes later they were walking to their first lesson, chatting light-heartedly, but they had barely set foot out of the Great Hall before someone said, "Oi! Cassiopeia Alderfair!"

Cassie halted in her tracks, swinging around to see the same boy who had delivered Lily's and Marlene's Valentine's scampering up to her, nearly weighed down by the number of parcels he was carrying.

"I forgot to give you this along with the others," he said, handing her a bouquet of startlingly blue irises that she accepted with bewilderment.

"I think there must be a mistake," she said, baffled. "These aren't mine."

The boy gave her a dry look that she was taken aback by.

"It has your name on it," he said, but before she could argue further he was already scuttling away, handing out more Valentine's.

Cassie looked to the boys, confused. "I don't understand. I _never_ get Valentine's."

"First time for everything," James said cheerfully. "Ooh, look, there's a card."

He plucked out a small envelope from within the bouquet and handed it to her, but she didn't open it, wanting to wait until she was seated before figuring out who could have sent her something so thoughtful.

She had never been a flower person, but the irises were beautiful, an elegant and lovely color that was as nice as their scent. She Vanished the bouquet back to her dormitory before entering the Charms classroom but kept the card, flipping it over in her hands as she took her seat.

She was alone, as Alice had yet to arrive from breakfast, and she figured that then would be the best time to open it without prying eyes. She slid her finger under the seal and extracted a folded piece of parchment from within, only to find two words printed: _To hope._

She turned the parchment over, but that was all that was written, and she frowned down at it. The message was written in black ink, and she stared blankly at the fine script. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out whose hand it might belong to. There was no name.

She shoved the card into her bag, pulling out parchment and a quill, but she huffed when it fell out again underneath her chair.

"Oh, for Godric's sake," she sighed, grabbing up the card and preparing to put it back into her bag when she realized that it wasn't the card, but another piece of parchment that looked as if it had been ripped from the corner of a larger piece.

Checking to see if anyone had noticed her, she unfolded the paper and found an entirely new message, scrawled in a hasty but elegant script.

 _Don't trust anyone tonight. Carlisle is onto us. – A_

Cassie swallowed nervously, calmly placing the paper back into her bag and trying to act as normal as she could. Avery had slipped that message into her bag, but why? How could Carlisle be onto them already? They had just agreed to start working together!

That meant either one of two things: either someone was a traitor, or someone had seen her meeting with Avery and Regulus Black. And she had a gut feeling that she knew who it was.

* * *

"I'm going to throw up."

Lily rolled her eyes from where she was standing behind Cassie, curling her hair with her wand. "Because you're wearing a dress?"

Cassie prodded the chiffon skirt uncertainly, as if afraid it would bite her finger off. "Because I'm wearing a _pink_ dress."

"Stop being overdramatic," Lily said. "It's a Valentine's party; pink is kind of the staple color."

"Or red," Marlene said, breezing in from the bathroom and wearing a scarlet dress so tight Cassie had to wonder if she could breathe.

"Or red," Lily agreed. She was already dressed in mauve, her hair flowing gracefully down her back and complementing her dress, and Cassie couldn't help but to think about James's reaction once he saw her. He would probably start drooling all over the carpet.

"You know, as much as I dislike Slughorn, I have to say that I'm happy he opened this party up to students who aren't in his little club," Alice said, giving Cassie and Lily pointed looks.

"Don't look at me!" Cassie said, holding up her hands. "I never wanted to join in the first place!"

"Stop moving," Lily said. "I'm almost done."

Cassie obeyed her orders, sitting still while Lily put the finishing touches on her hair and makeup. "All right, done. What do you think?"

Cassie focused on herself in the handheld mirror Marlene had lent them, examining her face. She had asked Lily to do only minimal makeup on her, and she was surprised to see that she had done just that. Her eyes had been accented by a soft pink shadow and some mascara, making them appear bigger and brighter, and her cheekbones shimmered with a touch of blush that matched the shade of her lipstick. With her hair no longer resembling straw, the dark brown curls framed her narrow face nicely, and she beamed at Lily.

"Perfect," she said, standing up and hugging her friend. "I could do without the pink, but you did great, Lils. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Cass," she said, squeezing her tightly. "You look amazing, if I do say so myself."

"Hogwarts isn't gonna know what hit them," Marlene said, fluffing her blonde hair. "We'll be the hottest ones there."

Alice snorted as she applied her eyeliner, her burgundy dress splayed out around her on the floor. "Cocky, Mar. I like it."

"We should get going," Lily said, checking her watch. "The party started almost twenty minutes ago."

"It's called being fashionably late, Lils," Marlene said, leading them out of the dormitory. "Besides, who shows up early to a party? It's just awkward."

"I do," Lily mumbled under her breath self-consciously.

Cassie could feel the beat of the music as they walked down the corridor to Slughorn's office, and she silently thanked Morgana that he at least had the sense to play good music rather than the fancy classical rubbish he had had last time. They entered the office and were greeted by more pink than Cassie had ever wished to see in one sitting. The dimensions of the room had been magically altered to accommodate all the students as they milled about, some of them dancing, but most staying to the sides and chatting.

They went further inside, dodging a group of boys attacking each other with the crepe paper streamers and balloons, heading for the refreshments table. No sooner had they gotten there then they were intercepted by James, leading around a reluctant-looking Remus and a disgusted Peter.

"Evans!" he shouted over the music, and Cassie saw Lily roll her eyes so far back she could see the whites as he came to a stop before them. "You're looking good tonight."

"Thanks," she said drily, accepting a glass of punch from Marlene and doing her best to ignore him. Cassie waved to Remus.

"I'm surprised you came," she said when he neared, Peter in tow. "I thought parties weren't really your thing?"

"I like parties, just not these ones," he said, looking disgruntled.

"Then why'd you come?" she asked, not rudely, and he shrugged.

"James made a bet with us that if Sirius came, we'd have to come, too."

Cassie frowned. "Sirius is here?"

He nodded, taking a sip from his punch and making a face. "Yeah, he got cornered off by some Hufflepuffs, though. James said he could fend for himself."

"Yeah," she muttered, wondering why that answer annoyed her so much. She looked out to the dance floor, her eyes roving over the students before snagging on a familiar someone. She locked gazes with Regulus Black across the teeming mass of dancers before he turned and disappeared into the crowd, and she started after him before Remus grabbed her arm.

"Where are you going?" He had to shout to be heard over the music, but Cassie just shook her head.

"I have to take care of some things first," she said, already beginning to wade into the crowd. "Save me a dance?"

He balked at the mere mention of a dance, but he nodded nonetheless, and she shot him a wink before slipping into the crowd.

She kept her eyes peeled for black hair and broad shoulders, but it was almost useless considering how many people there were. She was just about to dive through another gap in the crowd when she knocked into someone, hard, and was sent reeling back, her heels making her unsteady.

"Watch it — " she snapped, only to realize that she had run right into Professor Carlisle.

She looked as frosty as ever, still in her black robes and her blond hair pulled back from her bony face. Her crimson lips twisted into a sneer when she saw Cassie, and her grey eyes froze like the surface of the lake.

"Well, well, well," she said, and her voice came out almost like a purr. "Cassie Alderfair. Just the student I wanted to see."

"No offense, Professor, but you saw me in class yesterday," she replied coldly, and the older woman's pale brows arched. "Excuse me."

She attempted to duck back into the crowd, but Carlisle placed a firm hand on her shoulder, her fingernails digging into her flesh and causing her to wince.

"Not so fast, Miss Alderfair," she said. "You and I need to have a little chat first."

She snapped her fingers at a house-elf walking by, a tray filled with drinks balanced precariously atop its head, and it immediately stopped, allowing her to grab two goblets before sending it off with a wave of her hand.

She offered Cassie one to take, but the younger witch glared at it, and she sighed.

"Take it, Miss Alderfair," she said. "It's not poisonous."

Cassie reluctantly took the goblet but didn't drink anything, Avery's warning still echoing in her head. _Don't trust anyone tonight._

"All right, speak," Cassie said, not in the mood to play polite to the woman who was a Death Eater. "What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you had enjoyed reading your ancestor's story," she said, swirling the contents of her goblet thoughtfully, that same predatory sneer on her face. "After all, you did steal the original copy from my desk."

"I found it very unenlightening," Cassie said blandly, figuring there was no use denying it anymore. Carlisle would have gone to Dumbledore before this, but she guessed that hiding secrets from the Headmaster was frowned upon. "A bit of a bore, honestly."

"Indeed." Carlisle's eyes were on the locket she was wearing, and Cassie covered it up discreetly, pretending to toy with it as she smiled at the professor. Carlisle smirked. "I never fancied legends much when I was a child myself. They doted on the hero too much, in my opinion, and the heroes were bland anyway. They could never do what it took to defeat the villain until they found a way much more…moral. I found it dull and unexciting."

"Is there anything you want to say, Professor, or may I join my friends once more?" she asked, and though Carlisle's eye twitched, she just kept smiling.

"Just one more question, if you don't mind me asking." Cassie waited, her unease growing by the second, and Carlisle smiled sweetly. "How is dear William doing? I imagine after last night he's not in his right mind."

Cassie's heart dropped to her toes. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I suppose you haven't heard yet," she said airily, taking a sip from her wine. "It makes sense, of course, the Ministry is being so hush-hush about it, but I would have guessed that your father had told you. He is a member of the Wizengamot, is he not?"

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?" Cassie demanded, beginning to tremble, and Carlisle feigned a look of concern.

"Oh, dear," she said with false sympathy. "You really don't know."

"I swear by Morgana and all her stars, if you don't tell me — "

"No need to get angry, dear," Carlisle said. "It's nothing you need to worry about anyway. But if you must know, the Dark Lord has figured out William's little plan. Tortured all of it right out of his mouth. And he threatened to kill you if sweet little William didn't pledge himself to the Dark Lord and his cause all over again. He even made your brother seal the deal by going to some poor Muggle home and ripping the hearts out of all of them, including the children." Carlisle heaved a dramatic sigh. "A shame. I thought it would have been better to kill the both of you, but the Dark Lord has his schemes, and he hasn't failed yet. I'm sure he still has some use for you and your brother."

Cassie couldn't breathe, her blood chilled in her veins. You-Know-Who knew. He knew everything. And he had threatened to kill her if Will didn't obey him.

Carlisle leaned in close, her blood red lips the only thing Cassie could focus on.

"Stop meddling, little girl," she hissed. "Unless you want to seal your brother's fate, stop getting in my way, or I will put an end to you, _permanently."_

She straightened up, finishing her wine and smiling pleasantly, as if they had just discussed the weather.

"Enjoy the rest of the party," she said before sweeping away, leaving Cassie alone in the crowd.

She clutched to the goblet in her hand like a lifeline, her world spinning with a sickening lurch. Just when things had started to make sense, when she was getting somewhere with the riddle, You-Know-Who had found out about it all. He had tortured Will, and then he had made him kill that family, had forced him to rip their hearts out…

Cassie thought she was going to be sick. She forced herself to calm down before she began to hyperventilate, but when that didn't work she brought the goblet to her lips and began to drink, draining the wine in one gulp. She felt herself relax slightly, her head going light, and she began to push her way through the writhing mass of people, needing to find —

She paused, puzzled. Who did she need to find? She couldn't remember. Was it Lily? James? Sirius? Sirius…

His name sent a jolt through Cassie, and she shivered, but in a pleasant way. He had wanted to meet her tonight, hadn't he? He had wanted to meet her…so they could snog. He had asked her if she wanted to snog him. That was it.

She began to drift through the crowd as if someone was leading her on a string, tugging insistently whenever she stumbled, feeling like she was in a daze. She was almost to the door when someone shouted her name, and she paused.

"Hey!" Alice said, flouncing over to her. "Where are you going? Are you leaving? We just got here!"

"I need to find Sirius," she said, the words foreign on her tongue. It was like someone else was speaking, but it was using her voice.

"What? Why?" her friend asked.

"I want to snog him," she said honestly, and Alice gaped.

"I'm sorry, what?" She looked at Cassie as if she had gone mad. "Since when do you want to snog Sirius?"

"Since the day he helped me with my trunk on the train," she replied easily, like she had known this answer all along and was just now realizing it.

 _What are you doing?_ some distant voice was screaming at her. _Why are you saying these things?_

"I want to snog him," she repeated. "And I want him to pin me against a wall and have his way with me."

Alice's mouth was an 'o.'

"Good Godric, Cassie, chill out," she said, checking to make sure no one was listening to them. "I get that you have hormones and needs, but you don't have to shout them to the world!"

The string was tugging at Cassie again.

"I need to go," she said, turning away from Alice. She glimpsed a clock on the wall and saw that she had five minutes until midnight. "I'll see you later."

Alice stared after her in amazement as she began to rush towards the Astronomy Tower, something in her blood singing. That distant voice was still screaming at her, but it was so faint she couldn't even decipher what it was saying.

She reached the base of the stairs that would take her to the top of the tower, but she had only set one foot on the stairs before someone grabbed her from behind.

"What are you doing?" Avery hissed when she whirled around. "I've been looking for you all night!"

"I'm going to the top of the Astronomy Tower," she said, and he glanced briefly to the stairs behind her before shaking his head.

"Did you get my warning?" he asked. "I overheard Carlisle talking to some of her Death Eater buddies via Floo. She's getting suspicious of you and Will."

"I know," she said. "She talked to me."

He looked shocked. "What did she say?"

"That You-Know-Who knows everything," she said, and his mouth fell open. "He tortured it out of my brother and threatened to kill me if he didn't stay loyal to the cause. It's over. It ended before it even began."

Avery seemed as if he had taken a blow to the gut. "No. That's not possible. It _can't_ be." He was stricken, but he stared at her when she said nothing. "You're not even upset?"

"I don't feel much of anything right now," she said honestly, and he narrowed his eyes, studying her carefully.

"Cassie," he said slowly, "did you have anything to drink tonight?"

"Yes," she said. "I had one glass of wine."

His gaze turned suspicious. "Who gave it to you?"

"Carlisle," she replied simply, and he swore under his breath.

"Cassie, listen to me — " he said, but the sound of approaching footsteps halted his words.

In the next second, Cassie felt herself flattened against the wall behind her as suddenly Avery's lips crashed into hers. She protested as he pulled them closer together, deepening the kiss, but he squeezed her waist in silent warning. He was doing it to protect them, she realized.

"Cassie?"

She wrenched herself from Avery at the sound of her name, and she saw Sirius standing in the entrance to the staircase, his grey eyes flickering between anger, hurt, confusion, and suspicion.

Cassie was panting, out of breath, but Avery was as cool and unruffled as ever, merely staring at Sirius with a flat gaze and a faint smirk. Sirius's expression turned cold as he faced Avery, and his eyes glittered as he glared at the Slytherin.

"What the hell were doing to her?" he growled, and Avery chuckled.

"Don't look so shocked, Black," he sneered. "It's not uncommon for women to find me attractive."

"What were you doing to her?" he repeated, and his voice held the faintest edge of a feral snarl that Avery picked up on, for his demeanor wavered slightly.

"We were snogging, in case your eyesight failed you," he said coolly. "Now, run along to your mates and leave us alone."

Cassie was having a hard time focusing on their conversation. Her head was swimming and her mouth was suddenly too dry, her lungs unable to draw enough air for breath.

"I'm not leaving you alone with her," Sirius said furiously. "Cassie, let's go."

He looked to her when she didn't move, but she only shook her head, clutching at her too-tight chest. "I can't."

Sirius looked enraged. "Yes, you can. He's not going to do anything."

"No, Sirius," she said, her voice wheezing slightly. "I can't. I-I can't breathe."

Sirius shoved Avery aside and came to her, the Slytherin on his heels, and now both of them looked worried.

"What did you do to her?" Sirius roared, whirling on Avery, but the Slytherin's eyes were wide.

"Carlisle gave her something to drink," he said. "She told me. There must have been something in the wine."

Cassie began to cough, her throat constricting, and she tried to gulp for air, but nothing was entering her lungs. Black swam at the edges of her vision, and she suddenly began to choke in earnest.

"Cassie? Cassie!" Sirius shouted, reaching for her, but it was too late.

The darkness closed in, and she knew no more.

* * *

 **Please review! I appreciate each and every one of them!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Enemy_**

 *****Important A/N*****

 **I've gotten a lot of questions over the months about where exactly this story will lead, but I haven't necessarily been able to answer them given the fact that I had no idea where this story was going to lead until recently. But now I have finished planning a lot of the major things for Cassie and the Marauders' journey, which will take us through the end of Hogwarts and into the First Wizarding War, all over the course of four books, each with roughly 40 chapters or so. SO, as a little thank-you gift to all of you reading, I have decided to release the title of the second book since we are more than halfway through with this one. So without further ado, here it is: _Cassie Alderfair and the Phoenix Ascent._ Do with that as you wish ;)**

 **xx**


	28. The Enemy

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I hope you are all enjoying the story so far!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: Cae-Leigh Anne, NyxPonderosa, heroherondaletotherescue, lavender macarons, highwayblues1, tennismaniac19, kate3110, 19irene96, RFirefly, Bookworm742, Bsmiles123, HPuni101, Raven that flies at night, Epochs, The Weatherwitch, brundy1331, Cassie-D1, Guest 1, Guest 2, and Guest 3!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Enemy

James was having a brilliant time.

"C'mon, Evans, just one dance."

The scathing look she sent his way would have deterred anyone by that point, but James had been on the receiving end of it so many times it hardly fazed him.

"For the last time, Potter, _go away!"_

He would have pressed further, but just then a warmth began seeping through the inside pocket of his robes, spreading to his chest. _Bloody hell, Padfoot, could your timing be any worse?_

"Excuse me," he said to Evans with a jaunty wink. "Save me that dance, Evans!"

She looked as if she wanted to pull her hair out, but James was already off, pushing through the crowd until he found Remus and Peter on the edge of the dance floor, looking extremely out of place.

"What's up?" Remus called, spotting him first.

James approached them and reached inside his pocket, pulling out a small mirror from within, the glass warm to the touch. Sirius had a similar one that they had enchanted years ago to keep in touch over the holidays, but they never used it at Hogwarts unless there was an emergency.

"Prongs!" Sirius said when his face appeared in the frame, and James's heart rate picked up in response to the panic in his best mate's voice. "Prongs, can you hear me?"

"I'm here, Pads," James said. "So's Moony and Wormtail."

"I'm in the hospital wing — " Sirius started, and Peter gasped.

"What happened?" James demanded.

"I'm not the one hurt," Sirius said hastily. "Something happened to Cassie. I think she was poisoned."

 _"Poisoned?"_ all three echoed in unison, and Sirius nodded quickly.

"Yes, but I'll explain more later," he said. "Grab the cloak and get here. Madam Pomfrey doesn't want anyone else to know, it's just me and Avery here — "

 _"Avery?"_ they all said again, and he looked exasperated.

"Just get the cloak and run!" he urged. "Dumbledore will be here any minute, and the doors will be sealed."

"We'll be there," James said, before pocketing the mirror and facing the other two. They looked equally shaken and determined, and they didn't even need to hear James give a command before they were pelting for Gryffindor Tower, the music fading fast behind them.

By some miracle, they managed not to run into anyone, and in five minutes they had both the map and the cloak, and they set off at a flat sprint for the hospital wing.

"Filch is in the next corridor," Remus said, the appointed map-reader. "Take the tapestry on the left!"

They bolted through the short passageway behind the tapestry, James nearly skidding in his haste to reach the hospital wing. His heart was pounding, both adrenaline and worry rushing through him, and his mind was flying faster than the new Cleansweep model they had announced just last week. Who had poisoned Cassie? And _why?_

The doors to the hospital wing loomed before them, and they slowed to a fast walk, James whipping out the cloak. "Everyone under."

They pulled the cloak over themselves, and not a moment too soon. Footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see Professor Dumbledore striding for the hospital wing, Professor McGonagall by his side. The headmaster's lined face was grave, and the expression seemed so foreign on his otherwise benign features.

The three boys hurried after them, managing to sneak in just as Professor Dumbledore waved his hand, and the doors closed behind them with a soft _boom._ His bright blue eyes hesitated on the spot the boys had just entered, and James swore he saw a faint grin tug at his lips before Madam Pomfrey rushed over.

"Albus, Minerva," she said, bobbing her head. "I'm glad you got my message."

"What is the matter, dear Poppy?" Professor Dumbledore said, and the young matron looked over her shoulder. James saw Sirius and Avery standing off to the side, both looking furious, and beyond he saw Cassie lying in a cot, eerily still.

His heart in his throat, James turned back to the conversation.

"Mr. Black and Mr. Avery brought Miss Alderfair in ten minutes ago," Madam Pomfrey was saying. "They reported that Miss Alderfair said she couldn't breathe, right before collapsing. Sir, they are saying…" She took a deep breath. "They are saying she may have been poisoned, at the party Horace was hosting tonight."

"Poisoned?" Professor McGonagall echoed. "By whom?"

Madam Pomfrey hesitated.

"Mr. Avery claims he doesn't know, while Mr. Black has accused Mr. Avery of doing it," she said. "Almost got in a scuffle too; I had to threaten them both with a month's detentions to get them to calm down."

"And has she been poisoned?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Madam Pomfrey said. "I had to get her lungs cleared first and stabilize her breathing… There wasn't any fluid in her lungs, but the tissue was inflamed, and her larynx was swollen so tightly it was a wonder she hadn't choked. I'll be running more diagnostic spells once you decide what to do with the boys."

"We will speak to them," Professor Dumbledore assured. "Tend to Miss Alderfair, Poppy; we will get statements from Mr. Black and Mr. Avery."

The matron nodded, whisking away back to Cassie's bedside, and Professor McGonagall motioned for the two boys to come over.

"Minerva, if you would kindly take Mr. Avery to your office," Professor Dumbledore said. "We will ask Horace to speak to his student tomorrow, once the effects of the brandy have worn off."

Professor McGonagall nodded, beckoning Avery to follow her, and the two left, the Slytherin throwing one last glare over his shoulder to Sirius.

"Come, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore said, guiding him over to a cot beside the boys and sitting down, Sirius reluctantly taking a seat beside him.

"Tell me everything," said Professor Dumbledore simply, and Sirius raked his hair out of his face, his knee bouncing in agitation.

"I was at Professor Slughorn's party with my friends," he said. "I knew Cassie was going to be there, but I didn't see her, figuring I would see her eventually." He hesitated, and James watched in bafflement as his friend's cheeks reddened.

"So, you did not see Miss Alderfair drinking anything, or watch someone offer her a refreshment?"

Sirius shook his head, looking angry with himself. "No, sir."

Professor Dumbledore hummed. "Go on."

"I…I was on my way to the Astronomy Tower," Sirius continued, and James watched in increasing bemusement as Sirius suddenly looked flustered. "I-I had asked Cassie to meet me there, after the party, because…"

He hesitated again, and James was amazed. He had never seen his best mate look so out of his depth.

"I asked her there to kiss me," he said in a rush, and Remus smothered a hand over Peter's mouth when he squeaked. Despite the circumstances, James grinned. _I knew that bastard fancied her._

"And that was where you found her?" Professor Dumbledore asked, looking far too amused for the situation, and Sirius nodded.

"She was at the base of the stairs," he said, and he clenched his fists together as he spoke, "with that slimy Slytherin git all over her — "

"Language, please, Mr. Black."

"Sorry, Professor. With that filthy _snake_ all over her — "

Professor Dumbledore stifled a sigh, but otherwise let Sirius continue.

"After I came in and asked what he was doing, I told Cassie to come with me, but she – she said she couldn't breathe, and when I reached for her, she just…fell, and she wasn't moving…" He took a deep breath, looking to the headmaster with too-bright eyes.

"Is she going to be all right, Professor?" he said quietly. Professor Dumbledore placed an ancient hand on his shoulder and squeezed, his lips drawn in a reassuring smile under his beard.

"That I cannot say with certainty," he said. "But I trust her in the care of Madam Pomfrey, and you should do the same."

"He did it," Sirius burst out angrily. "I know he did this to her."

"That is a serious accusation, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore said, his brows high. "And we do not know yet for a fact that Miss Alderfair was poisoned." He gave Sirius a measuring glance. "Unless you have reason to believe that Mr. Avery would want to cause Miss Alderfair harm?"

Sirius opened his mouth, his jaw working, but after a second he closed it, shaking his head.

Professor Dumbledore then stood up, and Sirius did the same.

"Thank you for your recount, Mr. Black," he said, "but it is far past curfew, and I am sure Madam Pomfrey will work diligently on Miss Alderfair while you get some sleep."

James and the others followed them out of the hospital wing, and Dumbledore sealed the doors once more behind them.

"Goodnight, Mr. Black," he said, and this time James did not imagine the wink he sent in their direction before whisking off, soon disappearing down the dark corridor.

Remus ripped off the cloak, stuffing it into his pocket as they surrounded Sirius, their faces white.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" James demanded.

"I don't know," Sirius said. "We won't know bloody anything, not until we can get our hands on Avery or Cassie wakes up, whichever comes first."

"Will she even wake up?" Peter whispered, and Sirius turned on him with a thunderous look until Remus intervened.

"Of course she will, Wormtail," he said with false surety. "She'll be all right." He turned back to Sirius, who was pulling his fingers through his hair and breathing heavily. "She'll be all right, Pads." He could only nod.

"Go back to the dormitory," James told them. "Padfoot and I will catch up."

Remus eyed them curiously before nodding, gesturing Wormtail after him as they swung on the cloak and departed. James waited until they were out of earshot before pulling out the map and checking it before he and Sirius began to wander after them.

"Hey," James said, noting the troubled look on his friend's face and nudging his shoulder lightly. "Cassie's tough, Sirius; she'll get through this, don't worry."

When Sirius said nothing, James wrapped an arm around his shoulder, drawing him close to his side.

They walked like that for a while, and it wasn't until they reached the seventh-floor corridor that Sirius spoke up.

"It's my fault," he mumbled, so quietly James almost missed it. "If I hadn't asked her to meet me, none of this would've happened."

"We don't even know if Avery poisoned her yet," he pointed out. "She could've just, I dunno, eaten some bad food or something. You saw that table, and all the exotic stuff…" He trailed off, sighing. "It's not your fault, Sirius. And I know Cassie would agree with me."

James eyed his best mate thoughtfully. "And asking to snog at the Astronomy Tower, sneaky, sneaky. Should I save the wedding invitations for when she wakes up, then?"

"Not funny," he muttered, though his lips twitched slightly.

"Do I get the tragic backstory on how exactly this came to be?" he asked, and Sirius sighed, as if resigning himself to his fate.

"Recently," he admitted. "I first realized it over the holiday, when she came to my place for that awful Christmas dinner. And a few weeks ago, when I let her stay in my bed, that was when I told her how I felt."

James cocked a brow. "And how do you feel?"

Sirius grimaced. "It's hard to say. But Prongs, I _know_ she feels the same way, she just won't admit it. She's too caught up in everything else to realize it, and…" Sirius suddenly turned to him, a horrified expression on his face. "Bloody hell, I sound like you with Evans."

"What, the lovesick pining, the certainty that there's a spark but she denies it, the late nights tossing and turning and wondering what you have to do to get her to bloody _see?"_ James said, ticking off the statements on his fingers. "Yeah, sounds about right." James clapped him on the shoulder. "Sorry to say it, mate, but you're in deep."

"How?" he asked desperately. "I've never had a problem with girls until now. They're the ones who pine after _me!_ What do I even _do?"_

"Either you can make an embarrassment out of yourself daily – like me – or you can just wait and see if she comes to you," James said. "As my mum always says: 'Love will find its way in time.'"

"So, you're asking me to take the advice your mum gave you? The same advice that you've been disregarding for five years?"

James frowned. "Love is hope, Padfoot. And I'll always have hope for Evans and me." They came to a stop outside of the portrait hole, the Fat Lady eyeing them grumpily. He gave Sirius an earnest glance. "Maybe it's time you start having some for you and Cassie."

* * *

The Astronomy Tower was bitterly cold, the sharp wind blowing so fiercely Cassie feared she would be snatched away and carried into the night. She desperately wished she had brought a cloak as she wrapped her arms around her middle, her gauzy dress doing absolutely nothing for her in terms of warmth.

"That color suits you."

She nearly pitched herself off the tower at the sound of the voice, and she whirled around to find Sirius emerging from the winding staircase. Her heart began to pick up speed at the sight of him, and not just because he looked so carelessly handsome, with his finely tailored robes and silky dark hair. They both knew what they were here for.

"Thank you," she said, trying her best not to stammer and blush, but her blazing cheeks gave her away anyway, and he grinned faintly as he approached her.

He stepped to her side, so close his elbow brushed against hers as he leaned on the railing, the wind whipping his hair around his face, and Cassie momentarily forgot about her coldness, content to watch his face shift in the lights from the castle and moon above, wondering how one person could look so heavenly among mortals.

"Do you ever think about how funny it is we're both named after celestial objects?" he asked after several moments, and she frowned.

"I get we're in the Astronomy Tower and all, but are we really going to discuss the stars right now?" she said, her nervousness making her snappy, but he merely smirked at her.

"C'mon, you have to see the irony here," he said. "Cassiopeia, the constellation of the Seated Queen; Sirius, the Dog Star. Pure-bloods and their astronomy craze, eh?"

"You know that Sirius is the brightest star in our galaxy?" she said, for lack of anything better, and he chuckled, nodding.

"Still doesn't take away the fact that my mother named me after a star in the dog constellation," he said, and there was something on his face that made her feel as if she were missing some sort of inside joke.

"It's better than being named after Cassiopeia," she said, making a face. "The vain queen who boasted her beauty to the gods and then let her daughter Andromeda be sacrificed to a sea monster. What kind of legacy is that?"

"A hilarious one, considering my cousin is named Andromeda," he said, and she grimaced. "Don't worry though, Andy may have been a Slytherin, but she doesn't hold grudges. Most of the time."

Cassie chuckled, her laugh quickly turning to a wheeze when Sirius's hand found hers on the railing, slowly sliding his fingers between hers until they were entwined. She held her breath, the frigid night completely forgotten now that she felt she had caught aflame.

"Your name's right about one thing," he said softly, and she peeled her gaze away from their hands to meet his eyes, a sparkling silver in the faint light. "The beauty of the gods seems dull in comparison to yours."

"You've never even met a god," was her intelligent answer as he leaned in, but this close to him, she doubted she could have come up with something cleverer to say.

"I don't need to," he said, his lips inches from her own, and her body ached at his nearness, wanting him closer. "I have you."

He closed the distance between them, but right before she let her eyes flutter closed, she glimpsed his gaze in front of her and stifled a scream, throwing herself back and slamming into the railing, her heart in her throat.

Gone were the quicksilver eyes she was so used to seeing, replaced by bright crimson irises and slit pupils – the eyes of the serpent. Sirius was no longer standing before her, and she fought the urge to whimper as You-Know-Who materialized into place, ghostly still and pale as death.

"Smart girl," he said coolly. "Love is weakness, after all. I wouldn't want you to become so attached to someone when your fate would never allow it."

"Where's my brother?" she demanded, regaining some vestige of her composure and straightening her spine. She had dealt with the snake before, and she could do it again. "What have you done to him?"

"Oh, he's fine," he said, waving a flippant hand. "Suffering, but fine."

"Why didn't you just kill him? Why keep him alive after finding out he was going behind your back, trying to stop you?"

You-Know-Who sighed, glancing out to the white-washed landscape as if he were already bored speaking to her.

"You never throw away your pawns, Miss Alderfair," he said. "No matter how useless or insufferable they turn out to be, the board can still be set. The game can continue, if only you have all the pieces to do so.

"Make no mistake, the only reason you and your brother are alive is because I have everyone right where I need them. And not to mention that killing you and young William would give a bad impression to the pure-bloods in my service – many of them would turn against me if I murdered the children of such a prominent wizarding family. No, you both still have some use to me yet. You're on the sidelines now, but don't be surprised when I set the board with you in the future. I do need my little pawns."

"I am not _anyone's_ pawn," she said, clenching her fists. "And I sure as hell am not yours, and neither is my brother!"

"Oh, dear," he said, a serpentine smile creeping across his twisted features. "Everyone is a pawn in this game. You will see that soon enough."

She opened her mouth, but with a flick of his wrist, she was suddenly thrown backwards, over the railing and into the open air, and then she was falling, the ground rushing up to meet her at a sickening pace —

Cassie jerked awake with a gasp, her eyes snapping open and immediately watering when the light hit them, sending her reeling. A dream. It had all been a dream, she told herself, though her churning stomach and hammering heart seemed to disagree.

She was in the hospital wing, much to her confusion, and beyond her bedcurtains she could hear the mumbling of low voices, though they were speaking so softly she couldn't discern them.

She sat up, reaching for a glass of water on her bedside table and sucking it down quickly, her throat parched. The glass settled with a sharp clink on the wood, and the voices faltered, becoming aware of her presence.

The bedcurtains were suddenly ripped aside, and Cassie blinked when the disheveled form of Lily appeared before her, closely followed by an equally frazzled Alice and an ashen Marlene.

"She's awake!" Lily cried, rushing for her, and Cassie barely had time to think before the three girls had pounced on her, nearly crushing her beneath their weight as she patted their backs awkwardly, bewildered.

"Merlin, I thought the worst," Lily rambled. "When Ja – Potter stopped me in the common room this morning and told me you were in here, I thought it was a sick prank before I realized he was serious, and – oh, Cassie, we came as soon as we got the news! Are you all right?"

"I'm…fine," she said haltingly. "Lily, what – what exactly happened to me?"

"You don't remember?" Alice said, her eyes wide, and Cassie shook her head.

"All I remember is the party," she said, frowning. "And then after that everything became so hazy…"

"We just finished speaking to Madam Pomfrey and Professor Dumbledore," Marlene said. She was still wearing remnants of last night's (or, she assumed last night's) makeup, her eyes bloodshot and worried. "Potter told us that you may have been poisoned, but you weren't – or, technically you weren't."

"Someone slipped Veritaserum in your drink last night," Lily said in response to her baffled look. "You had an allergic reaction to it though; your lungs and esophagus swelled to the point where you couldn't breathe, which is why you passed out."

Cassie thought back to the party, trying to recall the moment she had drunk anything, but it was like a fog was permeating her brain, making everything muddled and murky.

"Ah, Miss Alderfair, it is good to see you awake."

Professor Dumbledore stood politely at the end of her bed while Madam Pomfrey walked in, carrying a tray filled with foul-smelling potions no doubt meant for her.

"Professor," she said, nodding to the headmaster. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing to be concerned about," he said in response to her wary tone. "I will just need to collect your statement over last night's occurrence."

"I don't remember anything," she said, but he nodded to Madam Pomfrey.

"Veritaserum is a tricky little potion," the matron said. "Not many people are allergic to it, but if given to an affected wizard or witch, it creates a temporary loss of memory. Fortunately, a Memory Restoration potion should work."

She handed over a vial of a sizzling violet potion, and Cassie eyed it apprehensively.

"Don't worry, dear, I've heard it tastes like grapes," said the matron.

 _Whoever told you that is a damn liar,_ she thought, sucking down the potion and shuddering at the taste. It did taste like grapes, if those grapes had been left out in the sun for a week in a barrel full of pickle juice, and her face puckered as she handed the vial back.

No sooner had Madam Pomfrey taken the empty bottle before she doubled over with a gasp, stars exploding in her vision and her stomach roiling uncomfortably as memories came flooding back to her, making her brain feel like it was about to burst.

She remembered everything now – the party, Carlisle, the wine, the string tugging her towards Sirius, Avery, the kiss – all of it. Breathing heavily through her nose, she sat up, attempting to school her expression into something neutral, even if the mere remembrance of the night before made her want to vomit.

"How do you feel, Miss Alderfair?" Professor Dumbledore asked. The headmaster and Madam Pomfrey were watching in mild interest while the girls stood by her bedside anxiously, Lily gripping her hand so tightly it was beginning to cramp. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

"Yes," she said, giving the headmaster a bland smile. "I feel fine. It was an accident."

Professor Dumbledore gave no sign of this shocking him, but she saw his left eyebrow tick up ever so slightly. "An accident, you say?"

She nodded, still smiling. "I was thirsty, so I grabbed a drink from one of the house-elves. I remember feeling all light and fuzzy after I drank it, but I assumed it was just the wine. Afterwards I went to find Sirius Black at the Astronomy Tower, but after that, I must have fainted. I don't recall anything else."

"I saw her, before she left the party," Alice said, speaking up. "I thought she had just had too much to drink, but now that I think about it, it was probably the Veritaserum." She blushed faintly. "To be frank, she didn't quite have a filter when I spoke to her."

Professor Dumbledore merely stared.

"And do you have any recollection of Edmund Avery after the party?" he asked her, and she cocked her head, pretending to deliberate.

"I think he kissed me," she said. "Probably just to make Sirius jealous, but it wasn't anything sinister. Boys and their alpha-male complex, yeah?"

The headmaster now looked like he wanted nothing to do with their conversation. "Then you do not think Mr. Avery was the one who gave you the Veritaserum, either knowingly or unknowingly of the consequences it could pertain to you?"

"No, sir," she said. "I think it must've been a prank; some girl trying to see if her crush liked her back or not, I suppose. Unfortunately, I happened to be caught in the crossfire." She shrugged. "An accident."

Professor Dumbledore gave her a long, measured look, before finally smiling.

"Of course," he said. "We do seem to have a bit of a rampant contraband potion market going on, which I will investigate fully now that there has been an incident involving a student such as this. Thank you for your time and cooperation, Miss Alderfair. I hope you feel well enough to attend your lessons today."

Cassie didn't stop smiling until the headmaster departed, Madam Pomfrey escorting him out, and only when their voices drifted away did she drop her charade, sighing and falling back onto her pillows.

"I can't believe you just did that," Lily snapped, and Cassie looked up to see the redhaired witch fuming.

"Did what?" she said.

"You just lied to the headmaster!" she said, lowering her voice to a harsh whisper, and Alice and Marlene leaned in to hear better. "Cassie, what happened last night?"

"Nothing!" she said defensively. "Didn't you just listen to what I said?"

"Your story was a load of hippogriff dung and you know it!" she said. "And you know what else, Cass? I've tried staying out of your business with the Marauders for months, but I can't turn a blind eye anymore. I know you and those four have been up to something: sneaking off all the time, having your intense little discussions, you and Potter strutting around with those books that nobody can even read – something is going on, and I feel like that Veritaserum in your drink happened because of whatever it is you're getting into. So cut the shite, Cassie."

Cassie gaped.

"You really should be more discreet," Marlene piped up. "You've been acting funny ever since your brother gave you that locket, too."

She pointed to the silver and ruby necklace that was poking out of her pajama shirt, and Cassie pressed a hand over it, at an utter loss of what to say.

"So, what have you been doing?" Alice said, hopping onto her bed. "Making a secret tunnel to Hogsmeade? Plotting against the Slytherins?"

Cassie looked between their faces, ranging from Alice's innocent curiosity, to Marlene's insatiable desire to know everything, before finally settling on Lily's angry suspicion. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realized that she had kept this from them all this time, hoping that they wouldn't notice or care about what she was doing. She could argue that it had been to protect them, but she knew it was a feeble excuse – she simply just hadn't thought about telling them.

So what did that make her? They were her best friends. She told them everything. And now… It was over. You-Know-Who had won the second he had tortured Will. He knew about her brother's plan, and he knew about her. Only a suicidal idiot would continue to defy him, and with her brother's life hanging in the balance, she knew she couldn't go forward with this. It would be death, not just for Will, but for her, as well. But if it was all truly over…

Cassie sighed. "There's something I need to tell you."

* * *

When she had finished explaining everything from the moment she had received the locket from Will in Hogsmeade all those months ago, she sat in silence, wringing her hands while she let the others absorb all the information she had just thrown at them. They had listened patiently to her story, but she worried that they would think she was barmy, or worse, not believe her. To her relief, however, they thought neither.

"That's…a lot to take in, Cass," Marlene said, eventually breaking the silence. "How have you kept it a secret for so long? I would've gone mad by now, keeping that all to myself."

Cassie winced. "I wasn't exactly trying to keep it a secret. It's just…the Marauders were already there, so they knew, and I didn't know how to tell you all…"

"It's all right, Cass," Alice said, reaching out and taking her hand gently. "We're not mad; you did what you had to do. Right, Lils?"

The three girls turned to Lily, who was sitting stoically on the edge of Cassie's bed, lips puckered and arms crossed. She appeared to be deep in thought, but when all attention was on her she sighed, looking round at them all.

"I don't like it," she said finally. "I think there were a million different ways to handle it, but…" She rubbed her eyes, heaving another sigh. "I understand why you had to do it your way, Cassie. Your stakes were so high, and I…" She shook her head. "I probably would've done the same thing had I been in your position. I can't be mad at that."

She clasped Cassie's hand in her own, giving her a soft smile that she returned.

"Thank you," she said, "all of you. I've been carrying this around for so long, and now I don't have to anymore."

"But what about your brother?" Alice asked lowly. "What's You-Know-Who going to do to him?"

Cassie thought back to her dream, fighting the urge to shiver as she recalled You-Know-Who's clear, cold voice: _"I have everyone right where I need them."_

"You-Know-Who isn't going to do anything – at least, not yet," she said. "He's cunning enough to keep Will by his side with coercion, not torture, and he wouldn't dare touch me while I'm at Hogwarts, or even with my parents."

"That's right," Lily said. "They say that Dumbledore is the only one You-Know-Who is truly afraid of. You're safe here, Cass."

"And you're pure-blood," Marlene added. "He wouldn't kill you or Will, not when he's touting blood purity to the wizarding world, and there's so little remaining pure-blood families."

Cassie nodded. "That gives me time, then."

The three girls looked puzzled.

"Time for what?" Alice said, though Cassie didn't have time to answer, for just then Madam Pomfrey came sweeping back into the room, Professor Dumbledore no longer with her.

"Are you still here?" the matron cried. "Breakfast is almost over! You ladies need to get to your lessons – and no buts!"

"What about me?" Cassie said. "Am I free to go?"

Madam Pomfrey bustled over, taking her temperature and running a diagnostic spell once more before eyeing her critically.

"I suppose you may be allowed to leave," she said, clicking her tongue. "But I want you to take it easy today, Miss Alderfair – no running around with that Sirius Black and James Potter."

"Yes, ma'am," Cassie said, already swinging herself out of the bed and waving her wand, conjuring her robes from her trunk in the dormitory.

Madam Pomfrey clucked her tongue again. "I want you back here if you start feeling ill again, Miss Alderfair, and that is an order, not a request!"

"Got it!" Cassie said from the other side of the bedcurtains as she changed, the other girls waiting outside.

"Let's go," she told them a few minutes later, grabbing her bookbag and striding for the hospital doors, the others following closely. "Have any of you seen James or the other boys today?"

"We saw them on our way here," Alice said, having to jog to keep up with Cassie's longer legs. "They were going to breakfast."

"I think that's the earliest I've ever seen them up and moving," Marlene said, as they turned a corner and started down another corridor, heading towards the Great Hall. "It's funny. They were talking about meeting someone — "

Cassie stopped so abruptly Lily nearly crashed into her, wheeling around to face the blonde witch. "They _what?"_

"Er, yeah," Marlene said, eyeing her nervously. "I thought they meant you, but then they weren't in the hospital wing…"

"Those bloody _idiots!"_ Cassie said. "They're about to ruin _everything!_ Come on!"

She began sprinting for the Great Hall, the other girls hot on her heels after trading a bewildered glance. Students were beginning to clog the lower corridors, heading to their lessons after breakfast, but Cassie shoved them aside without a second thought, much to the protest and annoyance of the other students. She could hear Lily shouting apologies from behind her, but she kept pressing forward, panic driving her legs.

Of course they would go after Avery first, without knowing the whole story. After all, Sirius had seen them together in the Astronomy Tower, and in their minds, Avery would be a prime suspect. But Cassie had to stop them before they could get to him, or else everything would be ruined…

She dashed down the marble steps of the staircase, nearly slipping in the Entrance Hall when she saw Avery making his way to the dungeons, with the Marauders following not far behind, wands drawn.

"STOP!" Cassie shouted, barreling into Sirius just as he raised his wand, pointing it directly at Avery's back. Sirius's jinx went wild, slamming into the wall across from them, and Avery whirled around, drawing his own wand before James Disarmed him.

"Cassie, what the bloody hell are you doing?" Sirius roared from beneath her. "Get off me!"

"No, listen to me!" she cried. "James, stop, lower your wand! Remus, please — "

"Cassie, this prick poisoned you!" James said, glaring at Avery and refusing to drop his wand from where it was pointed at the Slytherin's chest.

"It wasn't him!" Cassie said, her voice shrill. Sirius still writhed beneath her, but she dug her kneecap into his diaphragm, making him hiss in a sharp breath. "Listen to me – it wasn't Avery, it was Carlisle — "

"I saw him!" Sirius said furiously, nearly bucking her off as he tried to move. "He had his hands all over you – his tongue was practically down your throat – you were fine until he – he — "

"Carlisle slipped Veritaserum in my drink!" she explained, rushing her words before any of them had another chance to hex Avery, who was watching the whole ordeal with glittering eyes and a scowl with James's wand still pointing at him. "I ran into her at the party – she told me something about Will, and warned me to stop meddling, and after I drank the wine she gave me I started feeling weird, like I couldn't control what I was saying – everything just slipped out, like I didn't have a filter – Avery found me on my way to the tower to warn me, but Sirius, when you found us, I had a reaction to the potion — "

"Why would he be warning you, Cassie?" Remus broke in. He had had the sense to drop his wand when she had crashed into Sirius like a lunatic, but he was still staring at Avery with a dangerous gleam in his eyes she had never seen before.

"Because we're working together!" she cried in exasperation. "We're on the same side now! He's not the enemy!"

The empty hall went quiet. Even Sirius stilled beneath her, and she slid off him, pushing herself to her feet again and meeting everyone's shocked gazes.

"What are you talking about?" James demanded angrily. "He's a Slytherin, Cass — "

"A Slytherin who's not interested in becoming a Death Eater or following You-Know-Who," she stressed. "He's been helping me these last few weeks – keeping tabs on Carlisle and her communications outside and inside Hogwarts, spying on the other students she's using in her plot — "

"He's playing you," Sirius spat, standing from the floor and gripping his wand tightly. "That's what all Slytherins do. They earn your trust, learn your secrets, and before you can even blink they've already stabbed you in the back. Trust me, I know – my whole bloody family are Slytherins!"

"That lion pride must really be a pain in your arse," Avery jeered at Sirius, speaking up for the first time since Cassie had arrived. "Maybe if you weren't such a Muggle-lover you'd be in here with the rest of us, and then you'd see how stupid you are compared to us — "

"Enough," Cassie said coldly, silencing the Slytherin with a sharp look. "You can save your insults for another time."

She gave everyone a hard, measured look, meeting each of their eyes individually. "Whatever plan we had is done. You-Know-Who knows about everything now. That's what Carlisle told me last night. He tortured Will and found out about it all, and threatened to kill me if he didn't obey him by sticking with the Death Eaters. That's it. It's over. So before you all hex each other into oblivion, just know that now there's nothing to be a part of. We can all go our separate ways again. There's nothing left. It's done."

The hall was silent once more. Somewhere in the depths of the castle, the bell tolled, signaling the start of lessons, but still no one moved until the silence pressed down upon them once more.

"Your brother was supposed to save us," Avery hissed. "He can rot in Hell for all I care now." He spat at the floor near her feet before retrieving his wand and disappearing into the dungeons, his footsteps echoing eerily in the silence.

"We should get to class," Lily said quietly, throwing Cassie an uncertain glance before starting up the staircase once more, Alice and Marlene reluctantly following and leaving her alone with the four Marauders. Once they were out of earshot James spoke.

"You promised," he said flatly, and she fought the urge to wince at his tone. "You promised that there would be no more secrets between us, Cassie."

"I know," she said softly.

James stowed his wand back into his robes and stalked off without a backward glance. After a moment of hesitation, Peter scuttled after him with an apologetic look.

Remus sighed, coming up to her and patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"It's going to be all right," he said. When her only response was a sniffle, he sighed again and trudged after the others, leaving just her and Sirius.

"James is right," he said after several long moments, and she flinched at how hollow and angry his voice sounded. "No more secrets."

"I was coming to find you," she blurted as he began turning away. He paused, his back to her, but she continued. "Last night, after the party. I was willing to meet you."

He said nothing, and she blinked back the sudden onslaught of tears as he disappeared up the staircase without another word.

"Some show."

Cassie turned slowly at the sound of the voice, watching Regulus Black step out of the shadows of the dungeons, smirking at her and clapping his hands slowly.

"I'm impressed, Gryffindor," he said. "You really sold it."

"Does Avery suspect anything?" she asked.

"As clueless as a kitten, that one," he said. He gave her a cool, calculating look when she didn't respond, his dark grey eyes raking over her. "You know, you would have made a formidable Slytherin. Scheming suits you."

"No one betrays me," she said stonily. "Avery should have known that before he went to Carlisle."

"Well, now you have what you were after," he said. "Avery is out of the way and Carlisle thinks you're putting a stop to your meddling. You now have free rein to do what you want."

"And I have your word you'll stay out of my way, as well?"

His smirk widened.

"Of course, my lady."

"Good," she said. "Because from here on out, I work alone."

She turned on her heel, but his voice held her back.

"And just what are you planning to do alone, Alderfair?" He was staring after her with a mischievous glint in his eyes that was almost reminiscent of his brother's, and she ignored the sharp flare in her chest at the sight.

"I'm going to save my brother," she said. "And hopefully bring about the downfall of the Dark Lord in the process."

His smile grew until it was almost predatory.

"Best of luck, then, Alderfair."

"I don't need luck," she retorted, walking away. "I have myself."

* * *

 **Please review! I always love getting your feedback and comments!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Lone Wolf_**

 **And never fear, readers. We definitely haven't seen the last of Avery, or Carlisle, for that matter...**

 **xx**


	29. The Lone Wolf

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! This chapter is a lot shorter than others, but considering it's a complete mess anyway, it's probably for the best that it's not any longer. On the bright side, it's bringing us closer to the end of Cassie and the Marauders' fifth year! And this is just the tip of the iceberg.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my wonderful reviewers from last time: tennismaniac19, HPuni101, Bsmiles123, heroherondaletotherescue, Cae-Leigh Anne, ForeverCharmed00, Cassie-D1, 19irene96, Epochs, PoisonDreamz, FlooJo, Raven that flies at night, FangirlForEternity, hellohaha, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, and Guest 4!**

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Lone Wolf

 _My dearest daughter,_

 _How are you, my darling? I hope my gift got to you safely. We had a spat of bad weather this last week and I'm afraid Osbourne was trapped in the manor for some time before he could get out and fly again. Hopefully you weren't gifted too many boxes of chocolate on Valentine's so you still have room for mine (though I highly doubt any boy would be clever enough to get gourmet from Belgium – only the best for my lovely Cassie!)._

 _Speaking of boys, how are those darling ones you've been spending time with recently? Any progression with Walburga's boy? (Sorry! I can't help myself – he's dashing, and seems to have a keen eye for you, if you will allow this one small intrusion from your mother…). Or I reckon Euphemia's boy is also rather handsome…_

 _Sorry!_

 _Your father has been kept busy at the Ministry these last months. After clearing Will of all charges he's been working extra hard to appease his constituents, and with the Wizengamot preparing to pass this new legislation (keep an eye on the_ Prophet _in the coming weeks…) I've hardly seen him._ Witch Weekly _has been in an uproar; half our models for the spring catalog canceled out of the blue! They wouldn't say why, but it's clear from the tense climate here in Britain that they're worried something might happen. The_ Prophet _has been tight-lipped about a lot of what's going on, but your father has been keeping me up to date on what isn't being shared. Why, just this last week there was an awful attack on a Muggle family; said all their hearts had been missing from their bodies! Can you believe it?_

 _It worries me, Cassie. I just want you to be safe here with me, but I know Hogwarts is the best place for you right now. I even got a letter a few days ago from Professor Carlisle – she says you've been a model student in her class. I'm so proud of you!_

 _I haven't heard from your brother since Christmas. I do hope he's all right. The wizarding community is becoming more and more divided each day, and forgive me, but I wish he would come to his senses and stay out of such needless conflict. I fear it is only going to get worse before it becomes better._

 _I love you, my darling Cassie. Study hard, and stay out of trouble with those boys!_

 _Much love,_

 _Mother_

 _P.S. Your father sends his love, as well._

Cassie finished reading her letter and shoved it underneath the exquisite box of chocolates Ozzy had just delivered to her with that morning's post, her stomach churning. Eleanor may be privy to things the _Daily Prophet_ didn't report, but Cassie seemed to be the only one in her family who was aware of what exactly had happened with that Muggle family. It was probably for the best, she thought; having Will splayed across every editorial Britain had to offer as the instigator behind such another brutal attack would put a decided wrench in her plans, and she didn't wish to see her mother experience that sort of heartache. Still, that didn't keep her from feeling nauseous at the reminder of what You-Know-Who had forced her brother to do.

"Your mum has such delightful taste," Marlene said wistfully, eyeing Cassie's chocolates with a dreamy gaze. "And those robes she was wearing to the Minister's Gala last month? _So_ beautiful."

Cassie gave her a strange look. "You saw her?"

"Page twenty-eight of the February issue of _Witch Weekly,"_ she said, sighing. "Said she was the best-dressed of the night."

"That seems biased, though, right?" Alice said, looking up from her own post quizzically. "I mean, not saying she doesn't deserve it, but she _is_ the editor for that same magazine…"

"Oh, please," Marlene huffed. "Cassie's mum could wear a burlap sack and a tea cozy and still be considered the most beautiful woman in Britain."

"Sheesh, Marlene, I can get you an autograph if you want," Cassie said, laughing.

"She hugged me once on Platform 9 ¾," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder importantly. "That's all I'll ever need in life."

Cassie rolled her eyes as Alice snickered under her breath.

"Anything worth sharing?" Lily asked, setting down her own letter and nodding to Cassie's. She lowered her voice. "Does she know about Will?"

Cassie shook her head. "No. But from what it sounds like, I don't think anyone knows except for us and some select others," she said, tilting her head towards the staff table, where Carlisle was sitting. "Not even the Aurors have any leads."

"That's awful," Lily said. "I'm definitely not trying to implicate Will or anything, but shouldn't the Ministry know that You-Know-Who and his followers were behind it?"

"Oh, I'm sure they suspect," Cassie said. "They just don't have any evidence to link someone to the crime. And a lot of You-Know-Who's followers are still unknown."

"What about an anonymous tip or something?" Lily asked. "They said something about it in last week's _Prophet_ – " But Cassie was already shaking her head.

"No meddling, remember?" she said. She couldn't help her eyes flicking towards the center of the Gryffindor table, where the Marauders sat. They were talking normally, as if they hadn't been avoiding her for the past week, but she swallowed down the sharp flare of hurt that spiked in her chest, knowing it was to their benefit.

Lily looked like she wanted to argue, but Marlene shook her head slightly when the redhaired witch opened her mouth, and she closed it again, frowning.

"We should get to lessons," Alice said, finishing up her breakfast and standing while the other girls followed suit.

Cassie shouldered her bookbag, trailing after her friends as they exited the Great Hall. She turned her head slightly to see Regulus Black's eyes trained on her from where he sat at the Slytherin table, but he didn't acknowledge her, so she did the same, unable to stop her gut from squirming uncomfortably.

The weeks leading up to the Valentine's incident had required her to pull a lot of strings, and now she was reaping the fruits of her labor, even if it made her feel wretched. It had taken loads of planning to get the ever-cunning Slytherins out of her way, including Professor Carlisle. Neither Avery nor Regulus had blown the whistle on their cover to the icy Defense professor, but Cassie wasn't willing to take any chances; perhaps her Gryffindor bias against Slytherins had pushed her towards the decision, but ultimately it was her need for discretion and headspace that had made her play the two Slytherins against each other so they would stop assisting her in her plans.

Carlisle and You-Know-Who had already made it clear enough that her meddling was causing issues, if Will's torment hadn't convinced her entirely. The horrendous force that had been used against her brother made her realize that no one else could be allowed to endure the same fate, and everyone close to her was a prime target for the same thing to happen to them. Therefore, she had come up with the idea a fortnight ago to throw everyone off the scent, as they say; she couldn't do anything to help Will if everyone knew what she was doing. Carlisle, Avery, Regulus, the girls, and even – as much as it pained her – the Marauders couldn't know about anything. The more people who knew, the more chance she had of being exposed, and then Will – or maybe even herself – would be killed.

Though the Sorting Hat had placed her into Gryffindor all those years ago, she had been a close call for Ravenclaw, like most of the generations of her family before her. She was smart, she knew that; perhaps not as cunning as the Slytherins, but years of pure-blood aristocracy and an affinity for wit had trained her well enough to fool everyone, even those closest to her.

Now, all she had to do was continue the task Will had set out for her months ago, and try not to get killed by the most powerful Dark Lord since Grindelwald.

Sometimes she really cursed her Gryffindor roots.

The day passed as it normally did, though Cassie was acutely aware of the Marauders' avoidance of her. She couldn't blame them, not really; she _had_ promised James no more secrets, which she had meant at the time. But this secret was to protect everyone she loved, and if she succeeded, she hoped they would understand that – Sirius, especially. His withdrawal from her was perhaps the most difficult, if only because her feelings were struggling to make themselves known. She hadn't gotten a chance to explain to him that Avery kissing her meant nothing, _was_ nothing, that she had been going to meet _him_ (even if she was under the effect of Veritaserum, but who was she to deny herself anymore?), but he'd been colder than ever towards her, so she kept her distance.

Slughorn's class was the worst. He had even gone so far as to trade seats with Lily, opting to sit next to Remus instead of her. Avery always shot her baleful glares over his shoulder, as if he blamed her personally for Will getting tortured, but she ignored him. Avery wasn't a rat, and perhaps he truly had meant well when he offered to help her, but she couldn't allow herself to trust anyone else but herself at the moment. No, she had to do this alone.

The last class of the day came abruptly, and Cassie took her seat at the front of the Defense classroom, waiting for Professor Carlisle to arrive. Ever since her trip to the hospital wing the week before, the professor/Death Eater had been unnervingly civil to her, as evidenced by what her mother had said in her letter at breakfast. The twisted witch was probably celebrating her victory in getting Cassie out of the way, and it was all Cassie could do to stop from laughing out loud every time she thought of what Carlisle's face would look like when she came out on top instead.

"Today will be a note-taking day," Carlisle announced as she stepped out of her office upstairs and descended the staircase. "Take out your quills and parchment."

Cassie complied with the rest of the class, setting her items on her desk as Carlisle spoke.

"For today's lesson, we will be talking about Dark creatures that may appear on your O.W.L. Can anyone give me examples of such a Dark creature?'

Lily's hand shot up first, along with Snape's, but that was no surprise to anyone. What was a surprise, however, was Carlisle calling on Lily first. "Yes, Miss Evans?"

"Inferi, Professor," she said. "Or an Inferius, if singular."

Carlisle nodded. "Five points to Gryffindor. Ten, if you can describe in detail what an Inferius is."

Lily took the challenge with ease, sounding as if she had swallowed the textbook and was now vomiting its contents as she rattled off: "An Inferius is a dead body, reanimated by Dark Magic for the purpose of serving the master who raised them from the dead. They're impervious to most spells and physical harm, but fire is the only sure way to kill one."

"Very good, Miss Evans. You have earned your ten points," Carlisle said. "Raising Inferi is a complex task; the spellwork behind such a feat is marvelously advanced, and requires dabbling in the obscure art that is Necromancy, which very few wizards and witches know."

Cassie saw Kanin Mulciber's hand raise, and Carlisle called on him.

"Professor, is it true He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is raising an army of Inferi?" he asked breathlessly, and if Cassie didn't know any better she would've thought his fear was genuine. Instead, he just sounded awed.

"Perhaps," Carlisle said vaguely. "I would not put too much worry behind the thought, however, Mr. Mulciber; I'm sure You-Know-Who has better things to do than go around raising the dead."

She gave Cassie a cursory look at this, but she forced herself to remain calm, merely staring back blandly. "What other Dark creatures? Ah, yes, Mr. Snape."

"Werewolves," the sallow boy practically hissed, and Cassie turned in her seat to stare at the hook-nosed Slytherin. He glared darkly from beneath his curtains of greasy hair, and she followed his glittering black gaze to the front, seeing his eyes trained on Remus next to her.

Remus didn't seem to be engaged in the discussion, merely tapping his quill on the edge of his desk and looking bored, but Cassie wondered if his face was somehow paler. Figuring Snape was just being his usual git self, she tuned back in to the lesson.

"Werewolves aren't Dark creatures," James snapped from a few rows behind her, and she turned to see the bespectacled Marauder scowling at Snape. "They're people."

Snape sneered. "Maybe on every other day besides the full moon. But they're monsters inside, Potter – you should know that."

James bristled, but Carlisle raised her hand for quiet. "Enough, gentlemen." She regarded the class for a moment, tilting her head before speaking again. "While it can be argued that werewolves are indeed people, the Ministry of Magic has classified them as a five in the Beast category on the official Ministry Classification of Magical Creatures. This rating means that magical creatures who belong to this category are known wizard-killers, and are impossible to train or domesticate."

"But when they're in human form they're classified as Beings," James argued. "The classification is bogus."

Peggy Sloane let out an ugly laugh. "Aw, look at the blood traitor defending werewolf rights! No wonder they don't consider you a pure-blood anymore, Potter. Sleeping with the half-breeds like some mutt — "

"Silence, Miss Sloane!" Carlisle snapped, and the Slytherin girl scowled. "Ten points from Slytherin. And I'll do the same for you if you don't sit down, Mr. Black."

Cassie looked to see Sirius slowly sitting back down in his seat, glaring acidly at the group of sniggering Slytherins on the other side of the room. She tried to catch his eye, but he looked resolutely forward, his jaw clenched.

"We are not here to discuss werewolf rights," Carlisle continued. "We are here to discuss only Defense Against the Dark Arts, and politics aside, werewolves are considered Dark creatures. Now, can anyone describe werewolves, and why they are considered Dark? No one? What about you, Miss Alderfair?"

Cassie started, not expecting her name to be called, but she swallowed nervously and tried to recall everything she had read about werewolves.

"Er, well, they're not exactly wolves," she started uncertainly. "They have wolf-like characteristics, but their minds and bodies are different, I guess." Remus was staring at her intently, and his gaze was beginning to make her feel self-conscious. "When they transform on the full moon they lose their human sense of self, which is why I guess the Ministry classifies them as dangerous." She shook her head disapprovingly, frowning when Remus's eyes refused to look away from her.

Carlisle nodded. "Five points to Gryffindor. Anything else? Why do werewolves transform, then?"

"They have no choice," Remus said, speaking up. He met the professor's gaze, but his voice sounded hollow when he spoke. "Once a human is infected with lycanthropy, they have to turn on a full moon. And only people who are bitten by a werewolf on a full moon can be infected."

"Five more points to Gryffindor," Carlisle said brusquely, giving Remus an odd glance Cassie couldn't decipher. The sandy-haired boy seemed to slouch lower in his seat when Cassie looked over to him, and she had the sudden urge to reach out to him before Carlisle was already moving the lesson along.

When the final bell rang to dismiss them, Cassie packed up her things and stood up, opening her mouth to say something to Remus, but when she looked he had already gone, darting out the classroom door with the rest of the Marauders on his heels. She frowned, staring after them until Professor Carlisle said her name.

"Miss Alderfair, a word please."

The blonde witch was beckoning her to her desk, and after waving for the girls to go on without her, she approached the desk, hoisting her bag higher onto her shoulder.

"You're not going to offer me another drink, are you?" she asked shrewdly, giving the professor a pointed look that she merely smiled at.

"Of course not," she said sweetly. "I will admit, the Veritaserum was a bit of a stretch, in hindsight, and I had no idea it would have such an adverse effect on you."

"And you needed me to tell the truth…why?" Cassie said. "You didn't even stick around to see if I drank it."

"I didn't need to," she said. "As you well know, Miss Alderfair, I have eyes and ears everywhere in this school. I always know what you are doing." She smiled again. "That's why I'd like to commend you on keeping your wits about you and stopping your little investigation before I had to step in myself. Your nosiness had been a nuisance, but now you know not to get in my way anymore."

"Yeah, well, having some dick of a Dark Lord torture your brother is a good warning to heed," Cassie said sarcastically.

"Indeed." Carlisle tapped her fingers on her chin, scrutinizing Cassie. "Continue to keep your nose clean, Miss Alderfair, and perhaps I can put in a word that will help dear William. After I get what I'm looking for, I'm sure the Dark Lord would not dismiss my counsel so easily." Her red lips curled into a predatory smile. "That is all, Miss Alderfair. Enjoy your dinner. And need I remind you to keep your mouth shut about our little chats?"

"No," she said through gritted teeth.

Carlisle waved her along. "Good. Have a nice evening, then."

Cassie walked out of the door without another word, promising herself that after You-Know-Who was dealt with, Carlisle would be next on her list.

* * *

"Revision is the _worst,"_ Marlene moaned, smacking her head on the cover of _The Standard Book of Spells Year 5._ "I _hate_ OWLs, and I haven't even taken them yet!"

"Why can't we go back to being annoying firsties?" Alice said wishfully, watching a cluster of said firsties take turns eating some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"Speak for yourself," Cassie said, looking up from her star charts for Astronomy. "I was so invisible our first year that not even Peeves would prank me! That was the darkest period of my life." She made a face. "The only reason anyone knew who I was is because of Will. He was the popular one."

Lily glanced up from her Transfiguration book. "Have you even heard from him?"

Cassie shook her head. "Not since Christmas."

Lily looked troubled, and Cassie tried not to mirror her expression. Will was safe, for now – at least she hoped he was.

"Can I copy your moon cycles?" Marlene asked, abandoning her Charms essay and scooting Cassie's Astronomy homework closer to her without waiting for an answer.

"Go ahead," Cassie said. "I'm pretty much done anyway."

"You really shouldn't be copying each other," Lily said with a disapproving frown. "It helps more if you do it on your own."

"Don't you have rounds tonight, Lily?" Marlene asked without looking to the other witch.

"Not until — " She glanced to her watch, groaning. "Now. I've got to get going, Stebbins is waiting for me. I'll see you later."

The other girls said their goodbyes as she departed hastily, leaving them to their never-ending mountain of homework.

Cassie was halfway through her last star chart when Marlene suddenly gasped, and she and Alice jumped in their seats, swiveling to face her in alarm.

"What's going on, Mar?" Cassie asked.

"I just realized something," Marlene said, pointing to her moon cycles. "Tomorrow's the full moon!"

"Er, yeah," Alice said, exchanging a confused look with Cassie. "What about it?"

Marlene lowered her voice conspiratorially, baring her teeth as she whispered, _"Werewolves."_

Cassie blinked. "Er, all right."

"Aw, c'mon, didn't you think today's lesson was exciting?" she whined. "Werewolves are creepy! I heard there's even some that live in the Forbidden Forest."

"Everyone tells you that when you're a firsty to scare you," Alice said, rolling her eyes. "There's no werewolves out there."

"That you know of," she retorted. "I sit next to Snape and all those Slytherins; Snape was talking about how he thinks one of the students here is a werewolf."

"That's such a load of dragon dung," Cassie scoffed. "Dumbledore would never let a werewolf roam around the castle when there's hundreds of students in here. That's mad."

Marlene held up her hands in defense. "Don't jinx the messenger! I was only reporting what I had overheard."

"Now I can't concentrate," Alice huffed. "I'm going to find Frank. Have fun you two."

She gathered her things and disappeared up the boys' staircases, leaving Cassie and Marlene alone together.

"Ugh, she's right," the blonde witch huffed after a few minutes. "I'm sick of doing homework anyway." She began packing her things, handing Cassie's moon cycles back to her. "Wanna come upstairs and do nails with me?"

"Can't," Cassie said with a sigh. "I have to finish this last star chart and start working on that History of Magic essay."

Marlene made a face. "Yuck. Well, I'll see you when you come up to bed."

Cassie waved as she retreated to their dormitory, turning back to her homework with a grimace. She worked late into the night, staying in her seat even after everybody left the common room for bed, determined to finish it all tonight so she didn't have to worry about it in the morning.

She took a break a little before midnight, stretching out her cramped hand and glancing over her work. Her moon cycles chart was still out, and she went to put it back in her bag, her eyes lingering on the unshaded circle that represented the full moon. It made her think of Remus, and that ridiculous nickname the other boys called him: 'Moony.' She wondered where that name even came from, but any thoughts about the Marauders made her gut twist, so she shrugged it off, stuffing the parchment into her bag.

"Psst. Psst!"

Cassie paused what she was doing, straining her ears. Had she imagined that?

 _"Cassie."_

Bewildered, she looked toward the fireplace, squinting her eyes, but seeing nothing. Figuring it was just the fire, she went back to her work, but nearly toppled out of her seat when she definitely heard an exasperated voice say, _"Cassie!"_

Swiveling her head back toward the fireplace, she clapped a hand over her mouth when she met the eyes of someone peering out of the flames, looking directly at her.

 _"Will?"_ she breathed, throwing herself in front of the hearth. "Merlin, is it really you?"

"It's me," he said, and Cassie drank in every detail she could through the dancing flames. He looked rotten, with his normally immaculate hair in disarray, and his dark eyes shadowed and empty, a former shell of the light that once harbored there. "Cassie, are you all right?"

"Am _I_ all right?" she choked, smiling despite herself. "Will, what happened to you? Are you hurt? Are you safe?"

"I'm fine, sister," he said, a ghost of a grin on his hollowed face.

"But you – the Muggles – You-Know-Who — "

The grin disappeared. "I'm fine, Cassie. Really."

Sensing that she should drop it, she swallowed down her disbelief and instead asked, "How are you talking to me?"

"I broke into some old witch's house when she went out for a spot of brandy," he said, snorting. "I can't stay long; the Ministry is beginning to monitor Floo communications, but I had to speak with you." He looked pained. "Cassie, I'm so sorry, for everything. I heard what Carlisle did. I never wanted to get you so involved — "

She shook her head, relief and sadness battling inside her. "Don't apologize. You were trying to do the right thing all along, and I never believed you. I should be the one who's sorry."

"Cassie," he said urgently. "Sparks, listen to me: I need you to be safe. Whatever pieces of the puzzle I gave you, forget about them, destroy them – whatever you have to do. I can't let you get hurt because of me. I don't want the same thing to happen to you – th-the things he made me do…" He shuddered. "Forget it all, sister. This is my burden, and I shouldn't have left it to you. I'm sorry."

"What?" she said, aghast. "No, Will, I can't do that – I can help! I've convinced everyone that I've stopped meddling, so I'm free to do whatever now. Just tell me what you're looking for, and I'll help — "

"Don't argue with me, Cassie!" he snapped. "This is life and death now. The Dark Lord is watching both of us, and I will never forgive myself if something were to happen to you."

"But — "

"Just stay out of it! There's nothing you can do anymore. It's over. I have to do this on my own now."

Cassie's blood chilled. "What are you saying?"

He hesitated, his expression pained. "I'm going to finish what I started. I don't care if I die anymore; I've seen what he does, what all of his followers do. This isn't a path to salvation; it's a path to ruin. And I have to try and stop it before this war can escalate any further."

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she shook her head vehemently. "No, let me help you! Will, he'll kill you if he finds out — "

He smiled sadly at her, and suddenly she felt like screaming. "I have to, sister. I have to take this chance, or nobody will."

"That's not true!" she gasped. "There are others who think like you, who want to see this war over! It doesn't have to be you."

"I'm willing to make the sacrifice," he said. She saw a hand, wreathed in flame, reach out as if to touch her, before it lowered again. "I love you, Cassie. I'm sorry."

"Will, don't you dare," she said desperately. "Don't leave me, please — "

But the flames died, and she was left with nothing more but ashes.

* * *

Cassie didn't know how long she stayed curled in front of the hearth, tears slipping down her face.

Just when she was convinced that Will was really on her side, that he was still good, she had lost him for the third time, and quite possibly forever. But it didn't have to be that way, she reminded herself. She still had all the clues he had left her, and the locket; she could beat everyone, even her own brother, and save him too. Of course she wasn't going to stop hunting, no matter what he told her, and he should've known that. He should bloody _know_ that.

She gripped the locket in her fist, feeling the little gears whirring and fluttering beneath its surface, against her skin, like a tiny second heart, pattering along to the rhythm of her own. She knew so much already, had come so far and gotten so many answers; she was _so close_ , she could _feel_ it. There were just the last missing pieces: what was You-Know-Who after, and _where_ was it?

 _You-Know-Who,_ she thought to herself scathingly. _The Dark Lord. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He doesn't scare me, not anymore. I do not fear Lord Voldemort._

She involuntarily shivered at the mere thought of his name, but she also felt…powerful, in a way. As if saying his name – even just thinking it – gave her some sort of power over him.

The sudden groaning of the portrait hole opening jarred her from her thoughts, and she sat up to see a familiar figure slinking into the common room, heading for the boys' dormitories. Sitting up and wiping her eyes, Cassie called, "Sirius?"

The figure hesitated briefly before continuing towards the staircases, and she cursed under her breath, getting to her feet and chasing him down. She caught him halfway up the staircase, grabbing his sleeve and turning him around to face her, his handsome features twisted into a scowl.

"What do you want, Cassie?"

His voice sounded rough and scratchy, and she ignored the swooping in her stomach as she said, "I want to talk to you. Where have you been? It's late!"

"I took a walk," he said defensively. "Had to clear my head. Why were you even lurking in the common room to begin with?"

"I had to think," she said, suddenly wishing that everything was still normal, that he wasn't glaring at her as he first did before they were friends. "Just…can we talk, please?"

He stared at her, his grey eyes narrowed. "I have nothing to say."

"Then just listen to me." She crossed her arms, and though he looked like he wanted to retort something nasty, he only gestured for her to speak, leaning back against the wall.

"Look, Avery came to me, all right? He said he wanted to help me, and I believed him. We had only been working together for a few weeks before Valentine's, and that night, he followed me to the Astronomy Tower so we could talk, not knowing that I was…well, going to meet you. He kissed me out of reaction when he heard you coming; he thought it was someone else. We couldn't blow our cover."

Sirius snorted derisively. "So, that's why this whole thing has been a disaster? Because you decided to put your trust in a _Slytherin?"_ He snorted again. "Glad to see where that got you in the end."

Cassie glared at him. "I'm not working with him anymore. Whatever truce we had is done."

"You still kept it a secret!" he snapped. "You promised us, Cassie!"

"I did what I had to do!" she argued. "Sirius, you have to understand that there are some things I have to protect you from — "

"Then how am I supposed to protect you?" he said angrily, cutting her off. "How am I supposed to protect _you,_ Cassie? The only reason why I ever even bothered with this whole bloody mess was because I wanted you to be safe, and not get hurt if anything blew up in your face. Do you know how _terrified_ I was that night? Watching you collapse like that, not breathing, not moving?" He was breathing raggedly, his chest heaving. "I thought you were _dead_ because of me. I thought I had been too late, that my protection hadn't been good enough. And it _killed_ me, Cassie."

She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say, but she took an automatic step back when Sirius suddenly pushed off the wall, looming over her in the narrow staircase as the wood-paneled wall pressed into her shoulders.

His hands reached out and gripped her waist, and a jolt shot through her spine that made her stand straight, her body tensing. Heat flooded her as he pressed closer, as if reveling in the fact that she was alive, and her breath hitched when his forehead met hers, their noses just barely brushing as he breathed heavily, the rich scent of him washing over her.

"You don't have to protect me," she managed to get out, her voice a mere whisper as her heart beat frantically in her chest, the locket warming in response.

"I know," he murmured, and his hands tightened their hold, making her blood sing. Every part of them was touching except for their lips, and she sorely wished to change that, unconsciously arching herself into him, and she grinned faintly when she heard his breath catch.

"Cassie," he said hoarsely, and she hummed in response, leaning closer. "Cassie…"

The moment was shattered when the sudden sound of a door slamming from further upstairs broke them apart, and Cassie released the breath she'd been holding as Sirius practically ripped his hands from her, as if she were scalding to the touch.

"I have to go," he said abruptly, and before she could even blink he had already bounded up the stairs, disappearing from view and leaving her alone, reeling.

Cassie stayed on the stairs for a moment longer, smacking her head into the wall and groaning.

 _I hate boys._

The locket seemed to hum in agreement.

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing from y'all!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Light of the Moon_**

 **This chapter was a mess, and I'm worried it might come across as confusing, especially combined with the last chapter, so I'll just give a brief rundown of everything that is happening:**

 **Avery was not a rat to Carlisle; Cassie just had to get him out of her way, so she played it to Regulus like Avery was a rat. Regulus is the only one who knows she's going solo because she entrusted that information to him and him only (also, Regulus is smart, so he has her figured out for the most part). No comment on Regulus's allegiances at this point.**

 **Cassie had to fool everyone into thinking she was done meddling, which she chose to do last chapter during the confrontation with Avery and the Marauders. The Marauders believe she is done with the mystery as well; they're only upset that she trusted Avery and didn't tell them, and from Sirius's POV, she put herself in a place where he couldn't protect her anymore (aw).**

 **Will wants Cassie to stop meddling as well, so he can solve the mystery on his own and keep her out of harm's way; however, Cassie believes she knows more than Will and can find whatever Voldemort's looking for before him, so she's not going to give up saving him either.**

 **And that's about all I can say without giving anything away. If you still have questions, you can always leave them in a review or shoot me a PM! Hope this clears things up, because from here on out, things are going to be happening pretty quickly as we approach the end of the first book. Thanks again for reading!**

 **xx**


	30. The Light of the Moon

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! It's crazy how we're already on Chapter 30. Only ten more chapters left until the end of fifth year!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: tennismaniac19, Epochs, heroherondaletotherescue, HPuni101, lizzzsunshine, VeraWhite, allicat13, hellohaha, ControlledChaaos, Raven that flies at night, Bsmiles123, lindir's gaze, elvendork (Guest), Guest 1, Guest 2, and Guest 3!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty: The Light of the Moon

The last of the February frost relented with the arrival of spring, and the grounds of Hogwarts were born anew, the grass coming in greener than ever and the trees blooming with leaves once more. Professor Sprout was often seen trekking to and from the greenhouses, waking her plants from their winter hibernation, while Hagrid and Professor Kettleburn did the same for their creatures.

Spirits seemed to be high amongst the staff and students again, even in the face of the daunting exams approaching at the end of the term. Cassie tried her best to remain calm and relaxed, but with the stress of the O.W.L workload, she felt as if she were slipping into a pit of insanity. Add her worry about Will (whom she hadn't had contact with since that night in the common room) on top of that, and she was surprised she hadn't taken another trip to the hospital wing yet.

She hadn't been making any headway with the locket, either. Night after night she stayed awake, trying to decipher the rest of the message, but to no avail. Trying to connect the links between it, her dreams, and Miranda's story was proving to be an impossible task, and her frustration with herself was making her more snappish than usual. She felt as if the answer was dangling right above her, just out of reach, but no matter what she did she just couldn't grasp it.

Carlisle, fortunately, was still unaware of Cassie's continued involvement in trying to find whatever it was the older witch was looking for, but the clock was ticking. She was sure Carlisle was still working on trying to find the object for You-Know-Who, and every day she didn't crack Will's code was another day Carlisle could potentially find it before her. But what would happen if Will found it before any of them?

From the way he spoke that night in the fireplace, it sounded like he was being watched, if not by the Dark Lord himself, then by his fellow Death Eaters, and maybe even Aurors. You-Know-Who would kill Will for possession of this object he so madly desired, of this she had no doubt, so it was difficult for her to understand why he would want to find it. Wouldn't this object be better off staying hidden forever if he didn't want You-Know-Who to have it? And why did Will have all these clues, clues he had given her, and still not know where this object was? The questions kept her awake for nights on end, and she was sure it was affecting her mental and physical states, as well, if her terrible mood swings and bruised eyes were anything to go by.

"Miss Alderfair, if you would kindly refrain from falling asleep during my class, it would be much appreciated."

Cassie lifted her head with difficulty to see Professor Flitwick frowning at her from where he was sat teaching at his desk. She was supposed to be copying down the wand motions for a spell that would be on their Charms O.W.L, but her lack of sleep was making her drowsy and dumb.

"Sorry, Professor," she mumbled, picking up her quill and slowly beginning to write down the correct wand motions. Professor Flitwick merely hummed before going back to the lesson, and Alice leaned over to her.

"Cass, are you all right?" she asked worriedly. "You look peaky."

"'m fine," she said, stifling a huge yawn behind her hand. "Just tired."

"You've been 'just tired' for weeks now," the brunette witch pointed out. She peeked over her shoulder before leaning closer, dropping her voice. "Is this about Sirius and the others? Are you still having a row with them?"

Cassie's grip on her quill tightened at the question, her mouth pulling into a scowl. She'd barely spoken to the Marauders for three weeks, and the reminder of it made her gut clench. Remus had tried to keep peace between all of them, but he must have realized the effort was futile, for he had backed off in the last several days. James refused to even look in her direction, still furious that she had kept her brief involvement with Avery from them, and Sirius had been as haughty and unruffled as ever, which only increased her own anger. His blasé attitude was almost like a slap to the face after the moment they had shared on the staircase, but her hurt was masked with too much pride to allow herself to obsess over it.

"What gave it away?" she asked Alice sarcastically. "The stoic silence, or the fact that a room turns into the Arctic Circle whenever we're all trapped in there together?"

Alice frowned, her expression unhappy. "You should at least try apologizing to them, then. You've been a stick in the mud ever since Valentine's."

Cassie's scowl deepened. "I have nothing to apologize for. They're the ones acting like gits, as if I had _betrayed_ them…"

Alice merely shrugged, clearly not wanting to press the issue further. "Suit yourself."

The rest of the lesson passed in silence, Cassie praising Merlin when she managed not to fall asleep again, and she trudged out of the classroom when the bell dismissed them, closely followed by Lily, Marlene, and Alice.

"Cassie, you look like you're ill," Lily said immediately after they had stepped into the corridor. "Do you need to see Madam Pomfrey?"

"No," she said sullenly, ignoring the glance the three exchanged, Alice's expression plainly reading _See what I mean?_

"Oh, suck it up, Cassie," Marlene said, raising a critical brow. "You're not sleeping, you're barely eating, and not to mention you've lost weight. Your bum used to look great in that skirt, but now it just looks sad. At least go get some Pepper-Up or something."

Startled, and slightly offended, Cassie looked down to her appearance, grudgingly noting that Marlene was right. Her uniform and robes were rumpled and hung more loosely on her body than normal, and to her despair, her bum _did_ look put-out.

"Fine," she huffed, throwing her hands into the air in exasperation. "I'll go get some bloody Pepper-Up. Just don't insult my arse again."

Marlene shrugged. "Just being honest."

"We'll see you in Herbology," Alice added, as they began walking in the opposite direction from her.

Cassie only nodded, sighing as she made her way to the hospital wing. Maybe some Pepper-Up _would_ do her good; Godric knows she hadn't been in the best state this last month. She slipped through the doors of the hospital wing, seeing Madam Pomfrey bustling about while a dozen or so students lingered in the ward, coughing and blowing their noses. Upon her entrance, the matron's head snapped up, like a shark scenting blood in water.

"Pepper-Up?" she asked before Cassie could even get a word out, and she nodded. The matron pointed her to the cluster of sniffling students. "Line up there. My new batch is almost ready." She clucked her tongue. "Honestly, I've been through two cauldrons already just this week! Exams, I'm telling you – they make everyone sick…"

Ignoring her ranting, Cassie sidled up to the group, keeping some distance away from the sicker ones. She wasn't down with the flu or something similar, and she didn't want to be either, so she hung back, only looking up when someone approached her.

"Hey, Cassie." Remus greeted her neutrally, his pale green eyes searching as he looked at her, his hands shoved into his pockets. The stance oddly reminded her of Sirius, but she swallowed the lump in her throat quickly, nodding back to the sandy-haired Marauder. "Remus."

"You down with the flu as well?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Just tired."

He nodded, scratching his cheek. "Exam stress – tricky thing. I have it too."

"I thought you said you had the flu?" she said, giving him a sidelong glance. He looked perfectly fine to her, if only a little paler and his eyes shadowed similarly to hers, but she caught a flash of panic in his eyes before it was gone, replaced with an easy grin.

"I'm trying to prevent it before it can set in," he said, shrugging. "Can't lose revision time, especially with OWLs coming up."

Cassie nodded, wondering why she didn't believe him. She had always trusted Remus so readily, but something about that flash of panic in his eyes when she had questioned him planted a seed of doubt in her belly. What did he have to fear?

An awkward silence befell them as they waited for Madam Pomfrey to distribute the potion, and Cassie opted to stare out one of the windows, watching the sun battle for dominance with the heavy clouds rolling in the sky, only looking back to Remus when he coughed slightly and scuffed his shoe on the floor.

"You talk to James or Sirius lately?" he asked, grimacing when she gave him a scathing look. "Stupid question, I know. Of course you haven't spoken to them."

"I have nothing to say," she said coolly, echoing Sirius's words from a few weeks ago. She wondered if he had told the other Marauders about their conversation, or even their near-kiss, but Remus seemed oblivious, only cringing at her words.

"We just want you to be safe, Cass, that's all," he said. "James and Sirius…well, they're prats, no denying that, but they'll get over themselves eventually."

"I am safe," she snapped back. "No more meddling, remember? Unless I want to be killed alongside my brother."

"I know that," he said quickly. "But _they_ don't — "

"And they won't," she interrupted, her voice cold. "They never will, not if they keep seeing things in black and white. Not all Slytherins are future Death Eaters, and not all Gryffindors are saints. Sometimes you have to do things your own way, and if that means dabbling in the grey area, then that's what I'm going to do."

Remus looked distraught. "Cassie, you're not still on the locket — "

"Of course not," she said. "So tell _them_ to get off their high horses and apologize for being selfish prats, and then maybe I won't be tempted to turn their hair green."

Remus didn't answer as Madam Pomfrey swept over to them, handing each a vial of fizzing, popping liquid before whisking away. Cassie drained her potion in one gulp as Remus did the same, but before he could say anything more to her she had already left the hospital wing, her throat burning, and not just from the Pepper-Up.

* * *

 _ **WIZENGAMOT PASS BILL GIVING AUTHORITATIVE POWER TO THE AUROR DEPARTMENT**_

 _On Wednesday, 3 March, the Wizengamot voted in an overwhelming majority to give the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (specifically the Auror Department) executive power in the capture and detainment of so-called 'Death Eaters,' witches and wizards who proclaim to be allies of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or otherwise sympathetic to his cause. This bill allows Aurors to use deadly force if needed when in pursuit of such criminals, and "necessary force is encouraged in order to subdue said criminals," as the third paragraph of the bill states._

 _Though Minister of Magic Harold Minchum has yet to sign the bill, allowing the legislation to become law, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch Sr., says that [he] "is confident the Minister will approve the bill. With the magical community in such a frazzled state, this will give citizens reassurance that all is being done to apprehend these criminals and put them in Azkaban where they belong."_

 _However, a few number of these concerned citizens have criticized the bill, calling it a declaration of open war and an incitement to violence between the Ministry and You-Know-Who. This controversial decision also comes on the heels of legislation Minister Minchum signed into law in late December, allocating a hundred more dementors to guard Azkaban prison._ (For more information, see pg. 9).

" _The Minister is playing with fire," one of these citizens (who wished to remain anonymous) told me. "Allowing the Aurors to use violence against the very people who condone it is just asking for trouble."_

 _Though known for his toughness and iron-fist approach when it comes to You-Know-Who's uprising, one can only wonder if the Minister has as much of a grip as it seems when it comes to containing the threat of You-Know-Who and his followers. Following the Wizengamot's decision to clear William Alderfair of all charges in the torture of a Muggle family in Cokeworth late last year, it seems that the Ministry – and the Minister himself – has a half-hearted approach to condoning such actions._ (For more information, see pg. 10).

 _That can only lead to more speculation on whether the Ministry is biased in its definition of "criminal," especially considering the amount of arrests documented as "linked to Death Eater activity" and the number of convictions, which are drastically lower. However, Bartemius Crouch Sr. assures the public that the passing of this new legislative bill would give the Aurors more power to put these criminals on trial to the Wizengamot, and more power to capture them in the future._

 _The Minister is expected to sign the bill next week._

Reported by Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent of the _Daily Prophet_ and _Evening Prophet_

"Ugh, of course they would find some way to put Will's name in there," Cassie said, shaking her head in disgust later that evening. She tossed the paper onto the table, crossing her arms and leaning back in her chair as Lily, Alice, and Marlene perused the article she had just read.

"That's so scary," Lily said, shuddering. "I mean, I get why they're doing it, but at the same time…"

"It is open war," Marlene said darkly, shaking her head. "There's been one for months, they're just trying not to scare anyone."

An uneasy silence covered them, no one denying Marlene's words, for she was correct, it seemed. A war was brewing, if not already on their doorstep, and the thought did not bode well. Before anyone could say more, Remus approached their table in the common room, and Cassie had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

"I'm not apologizing — " she started, but Remus shook his head, giving her a weird look.

"I came to talk to Lily," he said, and Cassie snapped her mouth shut, flushing. He turned back to Lily, who was looking at him expectantly. "What is it, Remus?"

"I can't do rounds with you this Saturday," he said, sounding almost nervous. "I, er…have detention."

Lily's brows rose in surprise, but Cassie narrowed her eyes. He was lying, she could tell; she knew him well enough. Did this have to do with why he looked so panicked that morning in the hospital wing?

"Really?" the redhaired witch asked. "Who gave it to you?"

"Er, Professor Vector," he said, shuffling his feet. "I forgot to turn in my homework last class."

Lily was still frowning, looking dubious, but she shrugged. "All right, then. I'll speak to Meyers, perhaps he can patrol with me that night."

Remus's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thanks, Lily. I'll make it up to you."

She waved goodbye as Remus walked off, sitting back with the rest of the Marauders in their typical seats by the fireplace. Cassie's eyes followed him until he sat down, before snagging on a familiar grey gaze staring back at her. However, when she met Sirius's eyes, the shaggy-haired Marauder looked away, glaring moodily into the fireplace.

"What's wrong with Lupin?" Alice asked. "He looks ill."

Marlene snorted. "Lupin's always ill. Back when I was dating Sirius he'd disappear for days; always sick, that one is."

Cassie frowned in the direction of the Marauder, Marlene's words stirring memories in her head that she'd never thought twice about until now. Remus did seem to be ill quite a lot; in fact, hadn't he always been that way? Even before she was friends with the Marauders she would vaguely register him missing in lessons, or looking sickly every few weeks. Either his immune system was terrible, or something else was going on with him. The latter thought made her heart sink just a little bit; she'd never given thought to his illness, so what kind of friend did that make her?

She looked to the back of Remus's head, wondering if even after all this time, she still didn't know who he was.

* * *

Friday could not pass quickly enough for Cassie.

Not only was she drained from the strenuous lessons and never-ceasing homework for OWLs, but the weekend would give her prime opportunity to continue work on the locket's mystery. Time was already running out for her; there were only three months left in the term before she would have to go back home for the summer holiday, so she had to find the object before then, or risk Carlisle – or even Will himself – finding it first.

She slumped against the wall of the dungeons outside Professor Slughorn's classroom, attempting to keep her eyes from drooping. The Pepper-Up she had taken earlier in the week had worn off, leaving her more exhausted than ever, but she knew sleep would continue to evade her; nightmares had been plaguing her ever since Valentine's, and combined with her stress, she could only manage about two or three hours of sleep a night. Stifling a yawn, she tried to focus on the girls' conversation next to her, but since they were discussing the properties of the Draught of Dreamless Sleep, she tuned out hastily, not even wanting to hear about schoolwork or anything resembling it.

She checked her watch, wondering why the class before theirs was taking so long to pack up and leave, but she glanced up when she heard rowdy laughter echoing down the stairs, closely followed by the appearance of the Marauders. She scowled, averting her gaze, even when she felt their eyes graze over her.

Finally, the classroom door opened, and Slughorn's previous class filed out, laughing and chatting as they ascended the staircase back to the ground floor. Cassie leaned further into the wall to avoid being hit by a wild bag or shoulder, only looking up when she heard a cheery, "Cassie, hey!"

Bertram Aubrey was pushing his way towards her, his smile as white as ever and his blond hair flopping nicely across his forehead. She gave him a hesitant smile, letting out a small _oof_ of surprise when he wrapped her into a tight hug, practically lifting her off the ground.

"It's been a while!" he said. "How've you been?"

"Good," she said, nodding and awkwardly tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, acutely aware of both the girls' and the Marauders' eyes trained on her, including some of the Slytherins nearby. "You?"

He shrugged, his smile never once dimming. "About as well as can be expected during N.E.W.T. year. I swear the teachers are trying to kill us."

"I know the feeling," she said, laughing. People began to file into the now-vacant classroom behind them, throwing her furtive looks, and she assumed they had all read the article in the _Prophet_ and had been reminded of her brother again if the sneers from the Slytherins weren't telling enough. She watched Sirius stalk into the classroom, pushing Emma Vanity out of his way with the Marauders hot on his heels, but she looked back to Aubrey when he spoke.

"Hey, I've gotta get going, I have Flitwick next," he said. "But we should get together sometime, catch up. There's a Hogsmeade trip coming up at the end of the month; we could go together, as long as Sirius Black doesn't try to sabotage us again." He gave her another blinding smile, and she nodded dumbly. Bertram Aubrey was asking her to Hogsmeade?

"Just let me know!" he called over his shoulder as he sprinted up the stairs, shooting her a last wink and grin before disappearing. Shaking her head, she entered the classroom just as the bell rang, heading for her usual seat, only to stop dead in her tracks when she realized that Lily was sitting in her old place next to Remus, with Sirius perched on the stool next to hers.

Lily caught her bewildered gaze and held up her hands helplessly, grimacing apologetically and mouthing _I don't know._ Straightening her spine with dignity, Cassie waved her off, sliding onto the stool next to Sirius and plopping her bag on the floor just as Professor Slughorn waddled in.

They didn't speak as Professor Slughorn announced that they would be working on a Draught of Peace that day, and Cassie chose to remain silent even after he had set them to work with a chipper, "Off you trot!" Instead she went to wait in line to retrieve their ingredients from the storage cupboard, stepping inside the musty closet and resisting the urge to roll her eyes when Sirius slipped in beside her.

"I can get the ingredients myself," she said irritably, grabbing a box of moth wings off the shelf and shoving it into his arms with much more force than was necessary.

"Forgive me for wanting to help," he drawled, shifting the boxes and vials in his arms so none of them would fall.

"Why are you even sitting with me again?" she asked. "I thought I was still getting the silent treatment?"

When he didn't answer immediately, she turned around and eyed him suspiciously. "What are you playing at, Sirius?"

He merely glared at her, but a sudden thought crossed her mind that made her scowl morph into an incredulous gape.

"Is this about _Aubrey?"_ she said, and though he gave no outward sign of admission, his eyes still flicked from her briefly, giving her all the confirmation she needed. "It _is._ Merlin, Sirius, are you _jealous?"_

"Stop acting like it's so surprising," he snapped, and his face was the tiniest bit flushed. "Grab that jar of frog eyes, we'll need those."

She grabbed the jar, thrusting it into his arms while he adamantly refused to look at her. They finished collecting the rest of their ingredients in silence, Cassie's heart beating quickly, not knowing what to say to him. Frustration was the forefront of her emotions; how could he run away from her last month, then ignore her for weeks, and then turn around and be jealous simply because she had talked to another boy? It was maddening!

"We have everything," he said, making for the door. "Let's get our cauldron set up."

Spurred by a sudden idea, Cassie reached the door before him, standing in front of it and crossing her arms, barring his exit. He gave her an exasperated look.

"Cassie, we're not doing this here — "

"Oh, yes, we are," she said. "You need to get over yourself, Sirius. You can't claim to have feelings for me and then never act upon them when the opportunity presents itself."

"I left that decision up to you," he said coldly. "You still haven't given me a damn clue on how you feel — "

"Bollocks!" she said angrily. "Was me wanting to meet you on Valentine's not enough of a hint, you bloody moron? What am I supposed to do, spell it out for you in the sky?"

His lips twitched, but he still looked annoyed. "I won't deny that _would_ be a sight to see."

She sighed, raking her hair back from her face. "Look, I apologized for lying to you already. Now either you can take it and move on, or leave it and stay mad at me. But I won't apologize for doing it to protect you. There are just some things that I have to keep a secret, and you have to be willing to understand that."

He studied her carefully, his lips pursed while she waited, crossing her arms once more. Eventually, he opened his mouth, but before he could get a word out the door to the storage cupboard swung open. Cassie flailed for a second, her balance lost as the door disappeared from behind her, and she yelped as she tumbled to the floor, potion ingredients scattering around her as Sirius dropped them all to reach for her, but he was too late.

The classroom fell silent, everyone swiveling in their seats to stare at the disaster that had occurred as Cassie pushed herself back to her feet, her face blazing and wondering what higher being had it out for her so badly.

Peggy Sloane, who had been the one to open the door, snickered at the two Gryffindors as Professor Slughorn bustled over, having to squeeze his wide girth through the tables as he said, "What is this? What is this?"

"I caught Black and Alderfair snogging in the storeroom, sir," the Slytherin cackled. "Looked messy, too." She gestured to the ingredients smashed on the floor, and Professor Slughorn looked between Cassie and Sirius, his walrus-like mustache rippling from the force of his breath.

"Is this true?" he asked them.

"Of course not," Sirius snorted, "Sloane's just making it up, as usual."

"Miss Alderfair?" he asked, turning to her.

"Sirius is right," she said. "Sloane's lying."

Professor Slughorn seemed to struggle with himself for a moment, obviously torn between believing a student from his own House or a member of his Slug Club, but eventually he waved a hand.

"I won't assign any detentions this time," he said, "Though I will take ten points from Gryffindor for destroying my ingredients." He flicked his wand and the mess instantly cleaned itself. "And no more dallying, it's time to start working on your potion."

"Thank you, Professor," Cassie said, flashing him a thankful smile that he acknowledged with a wink, going back to his desk and leaving the three alone.

"Sirius, finish getting the ingredients," she said, glaring balefully at the Slytherin girl. "Sloane and I need to talk. Privately."

He hesitated briefly before ducking back into the storage cupboard, and when he was gone Cassie narrowed her eyes, taking a step toward the much shorter girl. To her credit, Sloane did not back down, but her eyes flickered uneasily as she towered over her.

"Stay away from my friends and me," she said lowly. "I may not have retaliated after that stunt you pulled last term, but I haven't forgotten. And you do _not_ want an Alderfair as your enemy."

Sloane narrowed her eyes, but Cassie could see the beads of sweat on the girl's forehead, and she felt a nice flare of satisfaction at the sight.

"If you or any other snakes mess with them or me again, I will destroy you utterly," she finished. "Got it?"

Sloane nodded slowly, not saying a word, and Cassie smiled, satisfied, before pushing past the other girl.

"Alderfair."

She halted at the sound of Sloane's voice, but did not turn around.

"Tomorrow's a full moon." Cassie looked back over her shoulder in confusion, seeing Sloane smirking at her. "Stay safe."

Before she could ask the Slytherin what she meant, she had already begun walking back to her seat, leaving Cassie standing in the back of the room. Unconsciously, her eyes flicked to Remus, and something in her gut flipped uncomfortably before it was gone. Something was coming together like a puzzle inside her mind, but she wasn't sure she wanted to see the whole picture – and something told her it wouldn't be pretty if she did.

* * *

"Lily, have I ever mentioned how lame you are?"

The redhaired witch looked up in offense at this, abandoning her essay to glare at Marlene, who was curling her hair around her quill and looking utterly bored.

"I'm not – you're — " she spluttered.

"Mar's right," Alice said, grinning. "You dragged us into the library to do homework – on a _Saturday night."_

Lily gaped, whirling to Cassie for help, but the dark-haired witch wasn't paying attention, twirling her locket between her fingers and staring at the glinting ruby embedded in it.

"Maybe you _should_ go out with Potter," Marlene said. "At least he knows how to have _fun."_

Alice snorted when Lily glared.

"Don't say that!" she hissed. "You know I would _never — "_

"Good Godric, Lils, we know," Marlene drawled, rolling her eyes. "I just don't know why you're so set on hating him; he's not that bad — "

"You sound like Cassie," Lily said. At the use of her name, Cassie started and sat up straighter in her seat, looking between them all. "What about me?"

"Nothing, Cass," Marlene said. "We're just wondering when you and Sirius are going to make up and shag already — "

Cassie flushed, her cheeks turning bright red. "We already made up – _I think_ – and we are not going to shag!"

"That's not what you said on Veritaserum," Alice muttered, and Marlene giggled at the expression on Cassie's face.

"You can't hold that against me!" she said, mortified. "Veritaserum makes you say all kinds of things — "

"Yes, but only truthful things," Lily pointed out, and Cassie turned on her, her expression screaming _I thought you were on my side?_ Lily shrugged, a small smile on her lips, and Cassie knew she was only playing along with the others because she didn't want the conversation turning back to her and James. She huffed, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms.

Lily got to her feet a few moments later, claiming she needed to search for a reference book, and Alice and Marlene began speaking in whispers, talking about something Cassie didn't care to know about, instead opting to stare at her Herbology essay. Seeing that she hardly had enough room to fit another sentence on her parchment, she reached into her bag, digging around for a spare bit of paper she could use. Her fingers snagged on a piece, and she pulled it out, only to freeze when she realized that it wasn't spare parchment after all. It was the list she had stolen from Carlisle's office ages ago, with the names of the Founders written upon it. Perhaps it was a bit more crumpled and worn since the last time she had seen it, but it was still the same:

 _Salazar Slytherin – FOUND_

 _Helga Hufflepuff – FOUND_

 _Rowena Ravenclaw – ?_

 _ **Godric Gryffindor**_

She stared hard at Gryffindor's bolded name, her heart beginning to pick up speed, the locket synching right along with it. Gryffindor. Gryffindor.

Her ancestor was Godric Gryffindor – that was what she had learned in her dream weeks ago. And Miranda had been his lover… Miranda had written _The Gauntlet of Gryffindor_ about Gryffindor, and the locket she was wearing had belonged to her ancestor, passed between her hands and Gryffindor's and Gwarwyn-a-throt's, the Thief's. You-Know-Who, Will, and Carlisle were all searching for an object, an object that seemed to have some connection to the Founders, to Gryffindor himself… _The gauntlet._

Cassie felt as if her world had collided with the sun, the explosion so colossal inside her brain. The Gauntlet of Gryffindor. That was it. That was what everyone was after, though they didn't know it yet. The gauntlet was the object You-Know-Who wanted – and she had just figured it out, before any of them. Of course, there was the matter of actually _finding_ it…but she knew. But should she tell the others?

She had vowed to herself to work alone, to protect those she cared about from You-Know-Who's wrath… But if she had found something this big, this much of a gamechanger…

 _To hell with it,_ she thought, deciding to throw caution to the wind and pray that she was right on this. She stood up abruptly, beginning to shovel things into her bag, her body suddenly feeling feverish and tingly with adrenaline and excitement.

"Cass?" Marlene asked. "What are you doing?"

"I forgot I had to do something," she said hastily, shoving the piece of parchment with the Founders' names into her back pocket and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm sorry; I'll see you later!"

Without waiting for a response, she bolted from the library, ignoring Madam Pince's scandalized cry of, "No running in the library!" She pushed her way out into the corridor, pelting for Gryffindor Tower at full speed, clutching a stitch in her side when she skidded to a stop in front of the Fat Lady.

" _Virtus vero!"_ she panted. The Fat Lady gave her red and sweaty face a judgmental glance before swinging open, and Cassie clambered inside, trying to catch her breath. She entered the common room, looking for any signs of the Marauders, but when she didn't see them she took off up the boys' staircases, reaching their door and pounding on it.

"Open up!" she called. "Please, it's me – it's urgent — "

"Cassie?"

She whirled around to see Frank Longbottom emerging from the adjoining dormitory, looking at her in confusion. "What are you doing up here?"

"Frank," she said. "Have you seen James or Sirius or the others? Please, I need to speak with them — "

"They're not in their room," he said, shrugging. "I dunno if that helps — "

"Do y'know where they might have gone?" she asked desperately, not caring how mad she looked within that moment.

"Dunno," he said, grimacing apologetically. "I've never asked where they run off to some nights – honestly, I'd prefer not to know, seeing as what they get up to…"

Cassie let out a noise of frustration. "I'll find them. Thanks anyway, Frank."

He waved as she sprinted back down the stairs, throwing her bag at the bottom of the girls' staircases before rushing out of the common room once more.

"What's all your fuss?" the Fat Lady called after her. "You know, I was about to enjoy some beauty sleep right before you showed up — "

Cassie waved her off, beginning to jog down the corridor, wondering where on earth they could possibly be. Her first place to check would be the kitchens, but if they weren't there, then she had no other leads.

 _Bloody hell,_ she thought irritably. _Just when I need them the most and I don't even know where they are._

She hopped onto one of the moving staircases, waiting impatiently to connect her to another so she could be on her way, looking out one of the windows overlooking the grounds. The full moon was bright, bathing the grounds in white light, and faint wispy clouds rushed quickly through the sky, dark tendrils clinging to the moonlight and giving an eerie effect. She was just about to turn her head when she saw something out of her peripheral, and her eyes locked onto three figures striding quickly across the grounds – three very _familiar_ figures.

Cassie leaped the last meter between the two staircases, taking the steps two at a time as she raced down, not once stopping until she had reached the ground floor. By some miracle, she managed not to run into anyone, even when she slipped out through the great double doors in the Entrance Hall and emerged onto the grounds.

The moon was so bright that she needn't bother with her wand, instead heading for the place where she had seen the figures of James, Sirius, and Peter last. The grass was dewy under her trainers, and despite the warming weather she zipped up her jacket all the same, the cool nighttime breeze making her skin break out into goosebumps. She paused on the top of the slope that would either lead her to the greenhouses or towards Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, her eyes searching the landscape for any sign of the three boys.

After several anxious moments, she spotted two figures standing at the edge of the Whomping Willow, just out of range of its restless branches, and she started forward, wondering what they were doing so close to the dangerous tree, and where Peter had gone, as she could no longer see his shorter figure next to James and Sirius.

Suddenly, the willow's rustling branches froze completely, as if someone had Petrified it, and she stopped, watching as James and Sirius walked calmly beneath the still branches, her mouth dropping open when she saw them disappear into the willow's base.

 _What in the actual name of Godric…_

Swallowing her awe, she crept closer to the willow, freezing when the branches seemed to shake themselves and come alive once more, swaying and whipping, its creaking echoing loudly across the empty grounds.

She looked to the base, seeing a small dark opening crouching there, and she assumed that was what James and Sirius had gone through. But why? What was below the Whomping Willow? And how did they even figure something out like that? They had been forbidden to go near the tree ever since it was planted the year they came to Hogwarts, and no one dared to mess with it anymore ever since poor Davey Gudgeon had almost lost his eye from an assaulting branch.

Deciding she would never fully know how the Marauders' brains work, she approached the willow slowly, stopping just outside of its violent radius. She figured her smartest and safest option would be to go back into the castle and wait up for them in the common room, but something told her she needed to be here tonight – she needed to follow them. The locket seemed to be trembling against her chest as she pulled out her wand, deciding that magic would be the best course of action here, and she raised it, pointing it to a knot she could see on the base of the tree, sticking out like a sore thumb.

" _Immobulus,"_ she muttered, casting the spell, and just as before, the willow snapped to attention, its branches ceasing their moving. Keeping her wand out, she walked quickly for the mouth of the tunnel, crouching inside and checking her surroundings. Seeing nothing, she ducked into the tunnel, walking with a stoop to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling and whispering, _"Lumos,"_ her wand tip igniting and providing her with light to see as she went forward.

The tunnel seemed to last forever, but it had probably only been about ten minutes before she began to hear voices, and she paused. She shined her light on her watch, seeing that it was close to midnight, before extinguishing her wand and stowing it back in her pocket, creeping closer to the sound.

Two minutes later, dim light began to filter through the tunnel, and she came to another mouth, this one opening into what very much looked like a wooden cabin. Holding her breath, she crouched down to her knees, ignoring the dirt, and peered inside, seeing a dilapidated structure that looked as if it had been abandoned for years. What little furniture there was inside was broken, as if someone had smashed it in, and the moth-eaten curtains covering the cracked windows were ripped to shreds. Perhaps the most frightening detail of all, however, were the deep furrows in the wood of the floor and walls that looked suspiciously like claw marks, and she gulped, wondering how the Marauders had found this place – and worse, why they wanted to come in here at all.

Taking out her wand again, she hauled herself inside the house, walking slowly and lightly as not to make any noise. The floors creaked subtly beneath her weight as she moved over to the window and pushed aside the curtains, barely able to make out the silhouette of Hogsmeade in the distance. Her stomach flopped, and she backed away from the window once realization hit her: she was in the Shrieking Shack.

 _Oh, you know, don't mind me,_ she thought nervously. _Just hanging out inside the most haunted building in Britain, that's all._

The voices were closer now, and she definitely recognized Sirius's deep drawl amongst them as she headed for the staircase leading up to the second landing. Keeping her wand out, she padded up the steps, emerging onto the second floor and pausing outside of what she assumed was a bedroom.

"Five minutes to," James declared. "You ready, Moony?"

Cassie started; Remus was here? Since when?

Said Marauder grunted. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Sirius chuckled. "That's the spirit, mate."

What the hell were they on about? Why were they even in here? No one had ever been inside the Shrieking Shack before. Deciding that enough was enough, Cassie swung open the door with an ominous creak and stepped inside the equally shabby bedroom, looking around at the four pale faces that greeted her.

"Cassie," Remus choked, his face the whitest of all and tinged with some green. "Dear Godric, what are you doing here?"

"How did you get in here?" Sirius demanded, his voice harsh as he strode over to her and gripped her elbow in a painful grip. "Merlin, Cassie — "

"Pads, get her out of here," James warned hoarsely. "Fucking hell, get her out — "

"What the hell is wrong with you lot?" she said angrily, attempting to twist her arm out of Sirius's grip, but to no avail. "Why are _you_ in here — "

Remus looked devastated, his eyes glinting gold in the moonlight streaming in through a hole in the ceiling – wait. Gold? Remus's eyes were green, not gold… And suddenly it hit her.

"The full moon," she said, the blood draining from her face. "Remus…"

The sandy-haired Marauder looked as if he were coming apart at the seams – and he _was,_ she realized with a flare of panic. He was about to transform. Remus was about to become a…a…

"GET HER OUT!" James snarled, and before she could utter another word, Sirius was dragging her from the bedroom.

"Wormtail, get the door," she heard James order. The door slammed behind them, and she heard Remus let out a keening moan. At first she thought it was because he was distressed, but as the sound deepened and became more pained, she realized that it was because he was turning. Into a —

"You're bloody idiotic," Sirius growled as he pushed her in front of him, making her topple back into the tunnel from where she had entered. She barely heard his next words as a scream morphed into a roar above them, rattling the panes on the windows, and her heart dropped. "Honestly, Cassie, what the fuck were you thinking — "

"I had to tell you something," she managed to get out, her throat tight. "I saw you walking here…"

Sirius swore under his breath. "I knew we should've taken the damn cloak…"

Another roar echoed down the tunnel, and Cassie gasped, nearly collapsing into the dirt as she realized that she had been quietly sobbing the entire time.

"He didn't tell me," she cried, as Sirius stopped behind her. "None of you did…I didn't know…"

"That was the point," he said gruffly, giving her back a nudge so she got back to her feet, stumbling forward again. "He didn't want you to know."

"Why?" she choked. "I'm his _friend._ He doesn't have to be afraid of telling me – I know what other people think of w-were… but I'm not one of them! I don't care!"

"He doesn't know that," Sirius said, and though his voice was still tense, he seemed to be trying to reassure her. "Werewolves…they get a bad rap. He's terrified of anyone finding out – I mean, we found out our first year – kind of hard to keep that sort of thing from us when we all live together – and it took him a long time to come to terms with the fact that we aren't going to hate him for it."

They were about halfway through the tunnel, and Cassie breathed out a sigh of relief when she realized she could no longer hear Remus's pained screams and moans. How could she have been so blind? All the signs had been there from the beginning: his mysterious illnesses and absences, how he always looked so drained and sickly once a month, the panic… She had been so preoccupied with her own life that she had never once stopped to think about what he possibly had to go through. Was she even really his friend at all then?

"Hey," Sirius said, tapping her back. "I know what you're thinking. And it's not your fault you didn't know, Cassie. He knew he would have to tell you eventually if you never figured it out. At least this way, now you know."

"He must be terrified," she said miserably. "Having someone find out your secret like that…" She shook her head. "I _am_ an idiot."

"No argument there," he said, half-jokingly, half-seriously. "Honestly, princess, what even possessed you to follow us out here?"

"I figured it out," she said hollowly. All excitement of unlocking a piece of the puzzle was gone, dull in comparison to what she had discovered tonight. "The object they're all looking for – You-Know-Who, Carlisle, the Slytherins, Will – I know what it is."

"I thought you were done meddling?" he asked sardonically.

"It was a ploy," she said. "A dumb one, in hindsight. I didn't want anyone to know I was still working on it."

"That's why you threw us for a loop," he said, realization dawning. "So no one would suspect anything."

"Carlisle and the Slytherins knew you were helping me," she said. The tunnel was starting to become wider, and the air was turning cooler, less musty. "I had to make them think I was truly done digging."

Sirius was silent for a few moments.

"That was smart," he said grudgingly.

"I'm a smart person."

She could sense him grinning.

"I know."

A few minutes later they had reached the end of the tunnel, and Sirius stopped her by putting a hand on her lower back, an involuntary shiver going down her spine. He seemed to hesitate briefly before looking to her with a grimace, crawling up beside her.

"There's probably another thing you should know," he said, and in the next second, he was gone. Cassie blinked, blanching when instead of Sirius, there was now a great shaggy black dog in his place.

"Merlin's beard," she said weakly, and the dog's grey eyes – eerily similar to Sirius's – seemed to wink at her before it wriggled out of the tunnel, touching a paw that had to be as big as a bear's to the knot in the Whomping Willow's trunk, causing the branches to cease their whipping.

She clambered out of the tunnel, following the dog some distance away before it shook itself, slowly turning back into the human Sirius.

"That was risky," she said, wiping the last of the tears from her face now that they were out of the tunnel. Sirius cocked his head, and now all she could imagine was the dog as he stared at her. "How so?"

"What if you turned back naked?" she asked. "How do you even know to keep your clothes?"

"A lot of practice," he assured her. "It took us months to figure it out – I swear, the only person who's seen as much of James as I have is his own mother."

"James is an Animagus too?" she gasped.

He nodded. "Yep. A stag. So's Peter, but he's a rat."

"'Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs,'" she remembered. She touched a hand to her forehead, her head spinning. "I'm going mad."

"Nah," he said. "It's all very real, I assure you."

She looked back to him with a frown. "Why are you being so cool with this?"

"Oh, don't worry, I'm still furious at you for risking your neck like that," he said, gesturing to the Whomping Willow. "But at least now Moony can stop moping around about telling you."

She gave him a jerky nod. "Right."

"C'mon," he said, grabbing her arm again, though this time his grip was much gentler. "He's probably gonna want to roam around tonight, and we shouldn't be out here when that happens."

Cassie suppressed a shudder. "Agreed."

As they made their way back, a lone howl echoed across the grounds, and out of reflex Cassie slid her hand into Sirius's, squeezing it tightly. She felt his fingers wrap around her own as the castle loomed closer, and despite everything that had happened that night, she had to appreciate this one small moment of light amidst the rest of the darkness.

* * *

 **Please review! You all are so amazing and always inspire me to keep writing!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Falling Star_**

 ***Author's Note: I tried to make Cassie finding out Remus is a werewolf as anticlimactic as possible given the situation, because I never liked when it was always made such a big deal out of. Sure, it's a shock, but I think it's safe to say that Cassie is pretty used to rolling with the punches at this point ;)***

 **xx**


	31. The Falling Star

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Sorry for the long wait, but I just started school again so that's been taking up a lot of my time lately (while simultaneously kicking my ass, but it's fine, I'm fine).**

 **Thanks for all the new favorites/follows (we're over 600 now! Wow!), and thank you to all my reviewers from last time, and to those of you who also reached out in light of recent events: graysonsgr, heroherondaletotherescue, lizzzsunshine, Epochs, HPuni101, LoveFiction2017, Bsmiles123, FangirlForEternity, Raven that flies at night, hellohaha, lindir's gaze, seclue, dreadedlocket, SilverNightmares, kierram, The Weatherwitch, fancy blood, Lizard21, Kosongbird, MaddieLB, ADayDreamingNerd, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, Guest 4, Guest 5, and Guest 6! Your continued faith and support means the world to me!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: The Falling Star

The castle was dark when Sirius and Cassie reentered from the grounds, the flames in the braziers lining the walls dimmed and the shadows thick in the spaces where the light did not reach. Sirius gazed around intently before tugging on Cassie's hand, held firm in his own, prompting her to follow him.

"Stay quiet," he said. "Filch and Mrs. Norris are bound to be lurking around tonight."

The dark-haired witch gave no sign of having heard him, and he stifled a sigh. This whole night had been a complete disaster – scratch that, he thought – this whole _month_ had been a complete disaster. Things had been complicated ever since Cassie had almost died from Veritaserum, but tonight seemed to be the icing on the cake.

Sirius knew that Remus was not going to take Cassie's discovery of his secret well. As much as they had pushed him to tell her over the last few months, he had still been terrified that she would hate him, and to have her walk in on him transforming… Sirius's mouth pressed into a grim line, and he cast the silent witch a brief glance over his shoulder.

She was walking with her head down, her dark hair falling into her face and drying tears still clinging to her lashes and cheeks. She felt awful, that much was clear, and as much as he wanted to sympathize with her, his anger was still taking up most of his headspace. It had been Valentine's Day all over again; she could have died tonight, and he didn't dare take that lightly. As easygoing as he had tried to sound on the way out of the tunnel under the willow, he had nearly been shaking with fury and fear – not at her, but at himself.

He didn't know when he had promised himself to protect Cassie; perhaps it had been a subconscious vow, one that had always been there since the beginning, like when he befriended James, Remus, and Peter, but one thing that was starkly clear was that he was doing a piss-poor job of it. Obviously keeping her at arm's length wasn't working – Cassie Alderfair had a knack for trouble finding her wherever she went, and Sirius had to accept that that was a part of her. He didn't like it, of course, but after two near-death experiences in the last month, he realized, with no small sense of resign, that he would have to get used to it.

"How long?" she asked quietly, breaking the silence, and though her voice was a whisper, Sirius still flinched at the sound.

"How long what?" he said when she didn't elaborate, and she gestured to him vaguely.

"How long have you been a…dog?"

She said it as if she still couldn't quite believe it, even though she had seen him transform before her very eyes. For some reason, he found her skepticism amusing, and his mouth quirked into a wry grin as he looked back at her.

"Last summer is when we were able to shift without any problems," he said. "We first toyed with the idea starting our second year, but it wasn't until our third that we began trying in earnest."

"Oh," was all she said before falling silent once more.

They did not speak again until they had reached the Gryffindor common room, and it took Sirius several tries to awaken the Fat Lady, whose snores had been echoing down the corridor.

"Sirius Black," she said groggily when she finally awoke. "I should've known. Password?"

 _"Virtus vero,"_ he said, tossing her a wink for good measure, but the Fat Lady simply rolled her eyes and fell back asleep after opening her portrait.

Cassie dropped his hand as soon as they entered the dim common room, and he tried not to feel disappointed, instead watching as she rounded one of the sofas and sat down, curling her feet beneath her and staring into the dully glowing embers in the fireplace.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Waiting for Remus," she replied, her voice hollow. "I need to explain everything that happened tonight, and that I – that I don't…hate him."

Her voice broke on the last part, and Sirius sighed. He knew it was a lost cause to try and get her to go to bed, but there was no way she would be able to wait up for Remus.

"He goes to the hospital wing when it's over," he said. When she looked to him, eyes wide, he grimaced, saying hastily, "Madam Pomfrey knows. That's how she's able to take care of him."

"Then I'll go to the hospital wing," she said, getting up, but Sirius shook his head.

"You need to sleep, Cassie," he said. "You look dead on your feet."

"Thanks," she said drily, "but there's beds in the hospital wing."

Sirius sighed again, scrubbing his hands through his hair. "That's not a good idea, Cass."

She whirled on him, suddenly angry.

"And why not?" she demanded. "Remus is my friend! And I want to keep things that way!"

"And you will," he said, feeling his own frustration rise to the surface – he had never liked being yelled at. "But he's going to be exhausted, Cassie, and in a lot of pain. Having you pounce on him first thing after he's gone through all that is not going to be pretty, trust me."

She still looked angry, but Sirius was relieved when she backed down, his logic apparently having made sense to her.

"Fine," she said dully. "I'll wait."

"C'mon," Sirius said, making his voice gentler. "Let's get you up to bed."

He followed her to the girls' staircases, but she hesitated on the first step, slowly turning back to face him. He watched her curiously as she seemed to be struggling to say something, before she blurted out, "Can I stay with you?"

Sirius blinked. "What?"

He noticed her cheeks flare red even in the dim light of the common room, and he bit back a smirk at the sight as she repeated carefully, "Can I stay with you?"

When he said nothing, her face got redder, and she began to stammer. "It's just – I want to see Remus and talk to him, and having you there would probably help – and after everything tonight, you know, I just, uh, don't want to be alone – and I know Lily and everyone will be up there, but I don't want to wake them or worry them more —"

"You're cute when you're flustered," Sirius said, interrupting her rambling, and her mouth snapped shut instantly. He grinned.

"Never mind," she grumbled. "I'll just go up —"

"I didn't say you couldn't stay with me," he said, grasping her wrist, and she turned to face him again, perturbed.

"Well if you're just going to embarrass me then what's the point?" she said snappishly, and he chuckled, gently tugging her back down the stairs.

"No more embarrassment from me, I swear," he said.

She gave him a measured look that he couldn't decipher before she finally nodded. "All right, then. Lead on."

They trudged up the boys' staircase, Sirius acutely aware of the witch at his back and trying not to let his quickening heartrate get the best of him. There was no reason to be nervous, he reminded himself. It was just Cassie, and they had slept in the same room together before.

 _Things have changed,_ a small voice whispered in his head. _You know that._

And he did. His feelings for Cassie had been plaguing him for weeks, grown even more pronounced after her confession that she had been willing to meet him at the Astronomy Tower on Valentine's. Some part of her wanted him, and the thought made him feel like some bumbling, blushing schoolboy, with his heart hammering in his ribcage as they ascended the stairs and came to the Marauders' dormitory.

He let them in and went over to his trunk, flipping it open and rummaging inside while Cassie stood awkwardly behind him, looking around the room and studying it as if she hadn't been there several times before.

"Here," Sirius said, extracting a (hopefully) clean shirt from his trunk and tossing it to her. She caught it and gave him a strange look. "What's this for?"

"You didn't plan on sleeping in that, did you?" he asked, raising a pointed brow at her dirt-stained jeans and dusty sweater. "Ah, and here's some pants."

He handed her a set of pajama pants to go with the shirt, and he chuckled at the vague look of discomfort on her face.

"Thanks," she said, her tone making it sound like more of a question, but she went into the lavatory and shut the door behind her anyway.

Sirius grinned to himself, quickly shedding his own dirty clothes and throwing on a pair of sweatpants, opting out of a shirt. The excitement of the night and the adrenaline currently coursing through his body was making his skin warm, and he didn't feel like sweating all night. He grabbed a Gryffindor blanket and pillow off his bed and began to set up camp on the floor, plopping himself down just as Cassie emerged from the lavatory.

"Er…" She paused on the threshold, and he would have smirked when her eyes flicked down to see his bare chest, her face flushing red, except he was doing much of the same thing when he saw her bare legs coming out from the bottom of his shirt, the material stopping at her upper thighs.

"The pants didn't fit," she said, waving them in her hand at him while her other clutched her own clothes.

"They were from second year," he said, clearing his throat and forcing himself to meet her eyes. "I thought they would, sorry."

She grinned nervously at him. "Perhaps I'm as skinny as a twelve-year-old, but I'm much taller than one, Sirius," she said, and he laughed.

She skirted around his bed, putting the clothes on top of his trunk before settling herself behind the curtains on the bedposts, drawing the covers up to her chin.

"Thought you weren't tired?" he asked her teasingly, and she shot him a dry look.

"I'm exhausted, actually," she said. "Finding out one of your best friends is a werewolf does have a certain shocking affect to your system, mind you."

Sirius pointed to himself. "Been there, done that, remember?"

She smirked, nestling herself deeper into the covers, and Sirius had to bat the unbidden image of her wearing nothing but his shirt away before things could get any more awkward for him. He laid down, putting a hand behind his head and ignoring the hard floor pressing into his back, staring up at the ceiling and trying not to think of the complicated day they had ahead of them. Silence settled over the room like a blanket, and he was about to close his eyes when suddenly there was a thump of feet hitting the floor next to his head, and the next thing he knew he was being pinned down under Cassie's weight as she straddled him, looking determined.

"Cassie, what in the bloody hell—" he said, shock coloring his voice and his whole body roaring with heat as she looked down at him, her hair falling into her face and caressing his shoulder, her dark eyes bright in the gloom and her painfully attractive features making his heart fumble a bit in his chest. "What are you doing?"

"Settling this once and for all," she said haughtily, and Sirius realized that her pure-blood side was coming out as her chin lifted and her lips curled slightly, and he swore silently in his head as he began to feel the stirrings of lust swelling somewhere below his gut. It didn't help at all having her body pressed so close to his, her smooth legs hemming him on either side and the warmth of her skin seeping into his own.

He would have asked her what she meant if words could even exit his mouth, but she continued anyway, sparing him from having to speak as she said, "We both know we fancy each other, and I don't like beating around the bush, so let's get to it: What are we going to do about our situation?"

Sirius swallowed, his mouth suddenly too dry. "I…I dunno," he said, internally wincing when his voice came out raspy, and she raised an imperious brow. "I honestly didn't think I'd get this far."

She grinned, and Sirius grit his teeth as his pants seemed to tighten like a vice.

"What do you want from me, Sirius?" she asked, suddenly serious.

"What do you mean?" he said, confused, and now a small frown marred her otherwise perfect face.

"Do you want to shag me, or is there something more?" Her cheeks turned pink as she said this, and Sirius blinked, pondering.

"I'm not sure," he said. He untucked his hand out from underneath his head, and his fingers tangled almost mindlessly in the long locks of her hair, the nighttime shadows turning the deep brown into black as he looked back up to her, grinning slightly as her breath hitched in her throat. "Right now, all I know is that I want you, whatever that entails. As I said, I didn't think I'd get this far."

"I'm worried, Sirius," she admitted, elaborating upon his wondering look. "I don't want this to end badly. You're one of my best friends, despite the feelings I have for you." She frowned, her brows furrowing. "I just don't want our friendship to suffer if something happens between us."

Sirius found himself frowning as well, moving his hand to cup her face gently and waiting until she looked at him again.

"We'll never know unless we try," he said quietly. "I don't want to mess things up, either, Cass, but…" He drew in a deep breath. "You're the first person who has ever understood me outside of the blokes. We've both been through things that other people haven't, and whatever we have between us just works. I think we'd regret it more if we didn't try than if things ended badly."

She nodded, reaching up and covering his hand with her own, her eyes earnest and sure.

"Then we'll try," she said, and Sirius nodded, grinning even if his insides were jumping around excitedly. She suddenly looked mischievous, and he gave her a wary look.

"We're going to do things proper, though," she said, and smirked widely at him. "Court me like the proper pure-blood you are."

Sirius groaned, flopping his head back on the pillow as she snickered. "Don't torture me like this, princess. I've spent my whole life running away from all that nonsense." She laughed again, and the sensation made his waistband tighten even more. "But if you insist…"

"Come to Hogsmeade with me," she said suddenly, cutting him off. "We'll make it a date."

"Aren't you going with Aubrey?" he asked, raising a brow, but she waved him off.

"I never said yes to him," she said, shrugging. "Besides, he's a nice guy, but more friendship material than anything."

Sirius tried not to let his joy at this statement show, instead taking her hand in his again and rubbing his thumb lightly across her knuckles, smirking when she bit her lip nervously.

"I will accept your invitation to Hogsmeade, Cassiopeia Alderfair," he said, "so long as you do not drag me anywhere _near_ Madam Puddifoot's."

She smirked at him, and he had to marvel for a second at the expression before she said, "You have a deal, Sirius Black."

And with that, she slid off him, going back to the bed, but not before leaning down to whisper, "And I hope that was your wand I was sitting on."

Sirius blushed furiously, adjusting his blanket over the hardness in his pants as Cassie's laughter echoed through the room, following him into his dreams about dark eyes and bright smiles.

* * *

That night, Cassie found herself at a funeral.

She'd only ever been to one in her life, when she was nine years old and her Grandmother Opal had passed on, but the scene was much the same: witches and wizards drifted about, ghostly and ethereal in their white robes, the atmosphere somber and subdued. As Cassie stood on the edges of the crowd, her eyes fastened on a raised dais in the center of the high-ceilinged room, where a marble tomb lay open with a body inside.

Drawn by curiosity, Cassie approached the dais, passing through the fray of people unseen, as this was, after all, her dream. She climbed the few steps leading to the tomb, coming to the side and gazing down at the body lying within, uttering an audible gasp at what she saw.

She was looking down at Godric Gryffindor, his golden hair fanning around his head and offering the illusion of a lion's mane. His skin was pallid and bloodless, and twin stones lay over his eyes, painted with brown eyes that must have resembled his own. He was dressed in red velvet robes, with a scarlet and gold shroud beneath him – presumably what they would wrap the body in once the viewing was over. A glittering iron sword encrusted with rubies lay on his breast, clasped in his pale hands, and Cassie started when she realized that it must be the Sword of Gryffindor.

"They'll have to remove the sword before he's buried," a woman's voice said, and Cassie looked up, seeing a dark-haired witch several years older than her standing across from her, gazing at Gryffindor's body. At first glance, Cassie thought it was Miranda, but on closer inspection she realized it wasn't. However, even if she hadn't known, the woman who stepped up next to the other would have made her realize it was someone else as Miranda joined her at the tomb.

It was still eerie to Cassie, seeing Miranda and how much they looked alike, but in that moment Cassie realized that despite their similarities, she could never look the way Miranda did now; the grief on her face was something Cassie hoped never to experience, a deep, aching sadness for something far out of her reach.

"He wished it to go back to Hogwarts," the other woman beside Miranda continued. "Mother told me."

"Your mother is right," Miranda said, and Cassie's heart twisted at the raw sorrow in her tone. "We'll have to wait until the ceremony is over, though. There are still people wishing to see him one last time."

The other woman reached out and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He was loved, Miranda. Let that be a comfort to you."

"But he wasn't," Miranda said, her voice hollow and her eyes fixed on Gryffindor's frozen face, the stones over his eyes. "Not by everyone."

Her gaze drifted out over the crowd, and Cassie followed it, her eyes latching onto a sallow, thin-faced man with a pointed black beard and short black hair streaked with silver. His very countenance made Cassie shiver just looking at him, and she glanced away quickly, looking back to Miranda and her companion.

The other woman snorted. "He doesn't love anyone, you know that. All he cares about is blood purity and his bloody jewels."

"He's loved one," Miranda said coldly, and the other woman shrugged.

"You rejected his advances a long time ago," she pointed out. "It's about time he moved on and bed one of those simpering pure-blood whores always flocking around him—"

"Helena!" Miranda said reproachfully, whirling on the other woman with wide eyes. "Keep your voice down! He might hear you!"

"So?" Helena said, and Cassie had to bite back a grin at the other woman's flippant tone, her attitude oddly reminding her of Sirius. "He doesn't scare me. Mother could take him in a duel anyway. She's much smarter than that snake."

"I don't doubt it," Miranda said quietly, her eyes flicking nervously over the crowd. "But Salazar is cunning and powerful." Cassie blinked at the familiar name; Salazar, as in Salazar Slytherin? Miranda's eyes suddenly filled with tears, and her voice wavered as it came out. "I told Godric to be more careful, to stop being so arrogant, but he insisted I was just overly-cautious. And look where that got him."

She gestured to the body in the tomb, and Helena shifted uncomfortably.

"You still think Salazar killed him, then?" she asked in a hushed whisper, and Miranda scowled.

"I _know_ he did," she said angrily. "I was there that night in the Forest. I ran, like Godric told me to, but I still got a glimpse of the creature that killed him: a giant serpent, with scales black as night and eyes like glowing lanterns." Her hands clenched on the edges of the tomb, turning her knuckles white. "Salazar's sigil is a serpent – he even speaks Parseltongue! It was him, I'm sure of it."

"But you have no proof," Helena said. "And even if you did, you weren't supposed to be there that night, remember? That would lead to all kinds of questions, including…"

She looked pointedly to Miranda's stomach, where Cassie now saw the tiniest of bumps beneath the folds of her robes, and Miranda put a hand to the bump defensively.

"Which is why I'm not telling anyone," she said. "Godric's seed grows inside me, and that is my only priority now. I would die before endangering our child."

Helena smiled sadly. "He loved you, Miranda. More than anything."

Miranda looked back to Gryffindor's body, and a single tear dropped from her eye, landing on his velvet robes and soaking through the fabric.

"I know," she whispered, so quietly that Cassie barely caught it.

"Oh, no," Helena suddenly groaned. "That bloody Baron is coming over. I'll find you later after I'm done hiding."

She kissed Miranda on the cheek before swiftly departing, disappearing into the crowd of white and leaving Miranda alone at the tomb with Cassie. Her ancestor stroked her finger lightly down Gryffindor's cheek, her eyes filled with such tender love and bare grief that Cassie found herself blinking back tears.

"I will always love you," Miranda said to the lifeless body. "In this life and the next. I swear I will find you."

"It must be hard, Lady Alderfair."

Both Cassie and Miranda jumped, turning to see the man Miranda had called Salazar approaching them, a sympathetic smile on his face that was so poisonous and false it made Cassie feel unsettled, even faced with another of the original Four Founders of her school.

"Your loss, that is," he continued, coming to stand by Miranda's shoulder and gazing at her intently. "I know Godric was a beloved mentor to you."

"He was," Miranda said, adopting an air of cool indifference that Cassie was impressed by. "I will carry his lessons with me for the rest of my life."

"Indeed," Salazar said, looking thoughtfully down to Gryffindor's body. "A great wizard and an even better man, Godric was. I will miss him terribly." His bland tone made Cassie think otherwise, but he pressed on, turning that false smile on Miranda again. "And the High Council still does not know what killed him?"

Miranda stiffened, but she kept her voice even as she said, "Naught a clue."

"Ah, well," Salazar said, shrugging. "Many foul creatures run amok in the Thief's Forest; any one of them could have killed him." The wizard waved his hand and suddenly a goblet of wine appeared, and he took a long drink while Miranda stood, gazing out to the crowd imperiously, and Cassie shuddered, her expression mirroring exactly that of her father's.

"The students have coined a new name for the forest now that they are prohibited from going near it: The Forbidden Forest," he continued. "The brightest minds of our generation, and they come up with 'Forbidden.'" He snorted, taking another drink. "I swear, ever since we began taking in half-bloods and Mudbloods the students just keep getting duller and duller—"

"That will do, Salazar," Miranda said coldly, and the elder wizard paused, a flicker of anger pulsing behind his eyes before it was gone, and he smiled poisonously again.

"Forgive me, Lady Alderfair," he said smoothly. "I forget that you are a champion for those with lesser blood, like your mentor before you." He nodded to Gryffindor, and Cassie saw her ancestor's jaw tighten.

"You would do well to remember," she said, and Salazar bowed his head.

"Of course, my Lady," he said. He made to turn away, but stopped and faced her once more. "You know, I haven't seen you wearing your locket lately." Miranda whirled on him, and he gave her a knowing smile, tapping a locket on his chest with a finger. "The nobles have made a fashion of them, as you well know. Did you lose yours?"

"Perhaps," Miranda said evenly, but Cassie could tell she was rattled. Salazar noticed too, and his smile widened victoriously. "I'm sure it will turn up eventually."

"I hope so," Salazar said, giving her one last sickly smile before whisking away.

Miranda turned back to the tomb, but Cassie flinched away when her ancestor's eyes locked onto her own, boring into her with such intensity that she realized Miranda knew she was there.

"You're getting closer, my dear," she said to her, and Cassie shivered at how much they sounded alike as her dark eyes pierced her flesh like arrows. "All the answers you need are within your grasp – _take them."_

Cassie awoke in a cold sweat, thrashing around in her sheets for a moment until she realized she was far away from her ancestor and that funeral, safe in Sirius's bed at Hogwarts. She untangled herself from the damp covers, pushing her sweaty hair off her brow and calming her breathing, feeling as if she had just run a marathon. Miranda's last words still echoed in her head, bouncing around her skull, but she focused on the dark canopy above her, willing her heart to return to its normal beat.

As she lay there in the darkness, listening to Sirius's slow breaths, she realized that this was the first dream she had had with Miranda speaking directly to her. All her past dreams had been glimpses into memories, but this time Miranda had seen her, had _spoken_ to her.

 _"All the answers you need are within your grasp –_ take them."

If this was the proof Cassie needed to convince herself that solving the mystery with the locket was the right thing to do, then she would gladly take it. Miranda had always meant for her to find out, she knew that know – no one else but her. But the clock was ticking. Carlisle and Will were searching too, but she took some comfort in knowing that she had to be the closest one. Now all she had to do was stay in the lead.

However, that led her to her next thought, which was what she was going to do with the gauntlet once she found it. She knew now it was the gauntlet she was looking for – but what would she do with it? Destroy it? How?

 _We'll cross that bridge when we get to it,_ she told herself firmly. _Otherwise you're going to obsess over it and lose what little sleep you're already getting._

She rolled on her side, her eyes picking out Sirius in the gloom as he slept on, unaware of hew new revelations, and she sighed, her cheeks prickling only a little bit as she recalled their conversation from earlier. The prospect of plunging into deeper waters with him frightened her a little bit, but he had been right; they would never know their potential if they didn't try. She suddenly thought about everyone's reactions to the news that she and Sirius were getting together, and immediately cringed. She was sure to receive smug looks and many an eyebrow-waggle from the girls, and she grimaced as she imagined James getting up on the table at dinner and announcing it to the entire Great Hall – if he had even forgiven her.

Sirius had made it clear that night that he was still on her side (angry, but still), but James would be the real challenge. After all, it was to him specifically that she had promised not to keep secrets from, and she had broken that promise. She could only hope that he would forgive her, along with Peter and Remus, but after the events that had transpired that night, her hope was withering further and further.

She had been stupid and reckless following them into the tunnel, and the guilt of it was eating her alive, especially after seeing the look on Remus's face… Talking to him would be hard, this she had no doubt about, but she had to make him see that she would still be his friend, no matter what. She would always be his friend.

 _Go back to sleep,_ her brain urged her tiredly. _You're not going to convince anyone of anything unless you get some rest._

 _Shut up,_ she told the logical half of her brain, but she was already fading into sleep once more.

* * *

Cassie and Sirius awoke at the crack of dawn, moving quickly but silently in the early hours as they prepared to head for the hospital wing. Cassie snuck back to her own dormitory for fresh clothes and a chance to make herself look presentable, tossing Sirius's shirt into her trunk and hoping he wouldn't miss it, for it was quite comfortable.

It was a quarter past six when she met him back in the common room, and he winked at her encouragingly before they set off, out of the portrait hole and through the long corridors until they had reached the large double doors that barred the hospital wing.

Sirius entered confidently with Cassie trailing behind him anxiously, apprehensive of what was yet to come, but they were stopped almost immediately by Madam Pomfrey.

"Mr. Black," she said curtly, "why on earth have you brought Miss Alderfair with you?"

The matron eyed Cassie suspiciously, but before she could explain herself, Sirius had already answered.

"She knows, Poms," he said. "And I would trust her with my life. She won't tell anyone," he added firmly as Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth, presumably to argue. She seemed to weigh Sirius's words, however, and after a moment she nodded tightly.

"Very well," she said briskly. "Keep it brief. Mr. Lupin needs all the rest he can get."

Cassie and Sirius nodded, forging ahead as the matron went back to her office until they came to the furthest cot in the long room, with Peter and James taking residence in the two chairs propped on either side of Remus, who lay motionless in the cot.

Cassie's heart clenched once she saw Remus, her mind flashing back to the lifeless body of Godric Gryffindor in her dream, but the steady rising and falling of his chest reminded her that he was alive.

"Padfoot," James greeted sleepily as they approached. He adjusted his glasses and looked to Cassie for a long moment, before finally nodding and saying, "Cassie."

"Hey," she said quietly, trying for a warm smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Er, how's he doing?"

"Fine," James said, standing up from the chair and popping his neck, the sound like firecrackers in the silent room. "Exhausted. The transformations really take a toll on him." He looked to Sirius. "How much did you tell her?"

"Not a lot," he said, shrugging. "I figured I'd let Remus explain what he wants to her." James nodded, and Sirius suddenly grinned smugly. "She knows about our forms, by the way."

James's eyes widened, and Peter squeaked, scrambling from his seat to stand along with James, who was looking back and forth between Sirius and Cassie incredulously.

"You _know?"_ he demanded of her, and she nodded.

"Yes," she said. "He showed me last night. Why didn't you tell me you were Animagi—"

 _"SHH!"_ All three boys shushed her in unison, glancing apprehensively toward Madam Pomfrey's office, but her door was closed.

"Keep your voice down!" Peter said shrilly. "No one can know!"

"Why not?" she asked, and James sighed, mussing up his already wild hair.

"Because we're unregistered," he said lowly, and Cassie's mouth dropped into an 'o' shape.

"That's _so_ illegal," she said, half-shocked, half-impressed.

"Obviously," Sirius said, rolling his eyes, but he winked when she shot him a glare.

"We did it to help Remus," James said, and Cassie raised her brows at the silent challenge in his gaze.

"And I respect that," she said, rising to the challenge with grace. "You've all been very good to him. He's lucky to have friends like you."

"So are you," James said. She looked to him questioningly, and he scowled. "I was a prat to you after the Valentine's fiasco, and for that, I'm sorry."

"I kept you in the dark when I shouldn't have," Cassie said. "You had every right to be angry with me. I promised you no more secrets."

"You did," he said, nodding. "But as much as it annoys me to admit it, you did it for us, to keep us safe, and I can't stay mad at you for that."

She snorted. "When did you finally come to that realization?"

James smirked. "After you almost got your arse eaten by a werewolf."

"Shut up, Potter," she said, rolling her eyes, and he chuckled. "You know you love me, Alderfair."

"Unfortunately," she muttered, and held out her arms when he laughed. "C'mere, you big baby."

James stepped forward and hugged her, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head before turning to the others and saying, "Get in here. Group hug."

Peter nearly tripped over his feet in his haste to be included, throwing his arms around Cassie and James awkwardly, the varying height differences a challenge, while Sirius joined them more smoothly, ruffling James and Peter's hair and throwing Cassie one of his dazzling grins that made her blush and hide her face in James's jumper.

"Thanks for including me in the family reunion," Remus's voice said drily from behind them, and they broke apart to see the other Marauder pushing himself into a seating position and grinning faintly.

"Moony!" James said happily, moving to his bedside while the others followed. "You know we would never leave out our favorite brother. We can hug you too if you want."

"I'm good, thanks," he said, reaching for the glass of water on his bedside table and draining it in one long gulp. He set it down and sat up more, wincing, his eyes finding Cassie as he adjusted himself into a better position.

The air seemed to become thick with tension, and James cottoned on quickly, glancing between them and saying, "Pete, let's go change."

Peter nodded quickly, and the two boys departed the hospital wing. Remus looked to Sirius pointedly. Sirius looked to Cassie.

"Do you want me here?" he asked her, and she hesitated, glancing between the two boys before shaking her head.

"I'll be fine," she said, and he nodded once.

"Just holler if you need me," he said, squeezing her elbow gently before following James and Peter. They didn't speak until the large doors had shut, and Cassie took one of the chairs next to his cot, folding her arms closer to herself and waiting for him to speak.

"New development?" he asked after several minutes of silence, gesturing to the doors Sirius had just gone through, and she shrugged.

"Of sorts," she admitted. "I don't think either of us know where it's going, but it's going."

Remus nodded thoughtfully. "Good. I'm happy for you two. Merlin knows he'd been going mad trying to figure out how you felt about him." He shook his head. "Sirius has always played the part of the heartbreaker, but we all knew he was a hopeless romantic deep down. Did you know he was the one who got you those irises for Valentine's?"

"I had my suspicions," she said, and he grinned faintly, though his expression was pained.

Seeing him up close, Cassie realized how terrible he looked, his eyes bruised and shadowed, his skin pale and clammy. He looked exhausted, more than anything, but she could tell he was in pain just by the stubborn set of his jaw. "How are you feeling, Remus?"

"Like crap," he admitted, falling back on his pillows and sighing. "Madam Pomfrey gives me potions for the pain and the fatigue, but it's still a toll."

"I didn't know," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry, Remus. I've been such a terrible friend—"

"Don't, Cassie," he said tiredly. "It's not your fault."

"I didn't even notice," she said, shaking her head. "I considered you one of my closest friends, and I still never bothered to pay attention."

"You knew," he said, and she looked to him, startled. He grimaced. "Deep down, you knew. I could tell by the look in your eyes when you saw me last night – like you didn't want to believe it. Like you just didn't want to admit the truth to yourself."

"I'm not afraid of you," she said, "and I don't hate you for it, Remus. You can't control it, and it's a part of who you are—"

He laughed bitterly, cutting her off. "Of course it's a part of me," he said angrily, but the anger was directed more at himself than her. "I feel him every day – the wolf, Moony, whatever you want to call him. He's always there, waiting for the next full moon. I can never get rid of him, no matter how much I try."

"You can't help it," she said softly.

"No, I can't." He inhaled deeply, looking to the ceiling high above them. "I was nearly five years old when I was bitten. My father had encountered a werewolf before – Fenrir Greyback."

Cassie winced as he said the name. She had heard her father rant about the "half-breed, mongrel mutt" that was Fenrir Greyback since she was a child – the Ministry had arrested him before on the suspicion of the murder of two Muggle children, and though he had faced trial by the Wizengamot he had managed to slip away at the last second. Her father loathed him, and hearing his name sent a spike of dread through her as Remus went on, unaware of her reaction.

"My father insulted him, said that werewolves were 'soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death.'" A muscle in his jaw twitched as Cassie sat, listening in horror. "Greyback retaliated against my father for his words. He forced open my window on the night of a full moon and attacked me." He sucked in a deep breath, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "My father fought him off with curses, but it was too late – he had bitten me. I was infected with lycanthropy.

"My parents were distraught. My mum is a Muggle, and she had been horrified. My father blamed himself for my affliction. They tried everything, saw every specialist they could, but there was no cure. I was a werewolf, and nothing could change that."

His hands fisted in the bedcovers, and his eyes were too-bright, but he refused to look at Cassie.

"I hadn't been allowed to go to Muggle primary school. My parents were too afraid of what might happen, and besides, we had to keep moving around anyway, so on one would figure out what I was. I had no friends, no life – I had grown up on stories of Hogwarts from my father, but I had had to accept that I was never going to be able to go there. Not until Dumbledore showed up.

"He offered me a place here, said special accommodations could be made for me. My parents were reluctant at first, but they trusted Dumbledore, and I wanted to go. So I came here."

"They planted the Whomping Willow the year we came here," Cassie recalled. "It was for you, so you could use the tunnel to go into the Shrieking Shack and transform."

Remus nodded. "Dumbledore encouraged the rumors that the building was haunted so no one would go near it – the howls and screams at night they all heard was me. My transformations had been terrible back then – still are, but more so then than now. Since I was trapped in the shack, I had nothing to bite or scratch, except for the furniture, or myself."

He rolled up the sleeve of his pajama shirt to reveal a long white scar on his forearm, and Cassie felt her eyes brim with tears as he went on.

"I kept it a secret from everyone – said my mum was ill and that I had to go back and take care of her, which explained my monthly absences. It worked, for a while, until James, Sirius, and Peter came along.

"They were my first friends at Hogwarts – in my life. They were like brothers to me, and I was terrified that if I found out who I was, they would hate me and shun me, so I didn't tell them." He sighed. "Of course, they figured it out anyway. Damn James and Sirius – they're far too smart for their own good. I was ready to pack my bags and leave that night once word got out that a werewolf was a student, but they didn't tell anyone. And miraculously, they decided to help me.

"James came up with the Animagus idea first, and they began researching it almost obsessively. Professor McGonagall was suspicious, but they covered their tracks well." He smiled fondly, the expression a welcome change on his dour face. "This past summer, they got it down, and for this whole year they've been helping me – keeping me in line, providing companionship, exploring the grounds with me – it's safe, don't worry," he said hastily to her alarmed look. "That's why they're there, to keep me in check."

He sighed again, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I worried about telling you for the longest time," he admitted. "The others encouraged me to do it, said you would be fine with it, but a part of me is always terrified. You know how society treats werewolves – they're hated, and shunned. I couldn't bear it if you had turned on me knowing what I was, but I also would've accepted if you had hated me."

"I would never hate you for such a thing," she said tearfully, and she realized to her embarrassment that she had been crying silently the whole time he had been talking. "You're one of my best friends, Remus – you're my _brother._ I-I love you, and nothing is ever going to change that."

He finally turned and faced her, his eyes red-rimmed and desperate. "I love you too, Cassie, but I understand entirely if you don't want to be friends anymore—"

"Don't say that," she snapped. "You're my friend, and no amount of self-deprecation is _ever_ going to change that, so just shut up."

"You and Sirius really are perfect for each other," he quipped. "He said almost exactly the same thing to me when he found out."

"We both have good taste in friends," she said drily, and he cracked a grin. "You will always be my brother," she continued. "Sorry to say it, Remus, but you can't get rid of me now."

"And it's that thought that terrifies me," he said, and she smirked triumphantly before reaching out for his hand.

He placed it in her own with only the smallest of hesitations, and she clasped it tightly, sitting in silence as they held hands, a reminder that they would never let go of each other. Eventually, though, she had to break the silence.

"Hey, Remus?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever get fleas?"

She laughed when he groaned, flopping his head back onto his pillows as the sound rang throughout the room like a thousand bells pealing as one.

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Locket's Secret_**

 **xx**


	32. The Turning Point

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I think this is the longest I've gone without updating this story, and for that, I'm truly sorry. Life just comes at ya fast, ya know?**

 **Also, I know last chapter I said that this chapter would be titled _The Locket's Secret,_ but to save some room and spare you all from an overly complex chapter, I decided to split it into two parts, hence why this chapter title is different.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time: 19irene96, InfinityMars, tennismaniac19, HPuni101, LoveFiction2017, madgeundersee05, lindir's gaze, Wynter Phoenix, fancy blood, Emuhhhhhhly, HannahBananasxx, lizzzsunshine, narakunohime, Skendo, PanPanChan, Guest 1, Guest 2, Guest 3, and Guest 4!**

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Chapter Thirty-Two: The Turning Point

"You're going to Hogsmeade with _Sirius Black?"_

Marlene's shout was the first thing that Cassie heard that morning, and the dark-haired witch covered her ears with a moan, her eyes still closed as she struggled to hold on to the last remnants of her sleep.

"Mar!" Lily admonished from the other side of the room, as Marlene ripped back the curtains of Cassie's four-poster, allowing bright sunlight to hit her face and causing her to moan again. "Let her have some peace before you pounce on her."

"It's fine, Lily," Cassie sighed, accepting her fate and sitting up in her bed, meeting the wicked grin of Marlene and the curious looks she was receiving from Lily and Alice. She frowned at Marlene. "How did you even find out?"

"So, it _is_ true," she said, her blue eyes widening, and Cassie nodded grudgingly, figuring there would be no more use in hiding it. "Cassie! How could you not tell us?"

"Because it only happened a week ago," she said, kicking off her covers and standing up. "We just didn't want to make a big deal out of it." She gave a pointed look to the blonde witch at this, but she only flapped her hand impatiently.

"Oh, so there's a 'we' now?" she asked, and Cassie rolled her eyes. "Good Godric, you're already smitten."

"I think it's great, Cass," Alice broke in. "I mean, it's obvious that you and Sirius have fancied each other for a while now, so it's nice to see you two making some progress."

"Yes, the lovesick pining and star-crossed romance was getting to be a bit much," Lily agreed, sitting on the edge of her trunk and twirling a lock of hair while Cassie gave her an offended look. "And don't look at me like that, Cass, you know it's true."

"All I'm saying is that if he _ever_ treats you like he did to me, I will ruin his cushy little pure-blood life for good," Marlene said haughtily.

"So, you're okay with this?" Cassie said warily, and Marlene shrugged.

"I can't say I'm entirely pleased, but nothing's worse than being the jealous best friend/ex-girlfriend," she said reasonably. "It's really between the both of you now."

Cassie released a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "You're wonderful, Mar, you know that?"

She winked at Cassie, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Trust me, I've been told."

Cassie snorted, while Alice grabbed a towel and headed for the washroom.

"Now that we're all up and the gossip has been confirmed, can we please go to breakfast before I start eating myself?" she asked.

"Of course, dear Alice," Marlene said. "Whatever your heart desires."

Alice stuck out her tongue before giggling, shutting the door behind her and leaving the other three to get ready for the day.

They arrived halfway through breakfast, taking their seats at the Gryffindor table and beginning to eat. Cassie had already scoured the table when they had walked in, noticing that the Marauders had not yet entered, but she wasn't worried.

It had been a week since she had stumbled upon Remus's transformation and their subsequent reunion, and things had surprisingly gone back to normal – almost. The great thing she had learned about the boys is that nothing ever really seemed to change, even after a fight like the one they had had, though obviously there was a greater understanding between all of them. Despite Remus's hesitance the first day they all hung out together again, things had been smooth ever since, and Cassie was grateful for it, especially if they were all going to be working together on finding Gryffindor's gauntlet.

Cassie wasn't sure where the gauntlet would even be, which only served to frustrate her more. How could she have solved such a large part of the puzzle but still be so far behind? The Marauders, for their part, had been supportive and helpful, even tossing out their own ideas, but nothing seemed right.

Peter had suggested that maybe the gauntlet had been buried with Gryffindor's body, but Cassie had seen his body in her dream, and he hadn't been wearing the gauntlet then, and Remus reminded them that no one even knew where his body was buried anymore. Sirius proposed that the gauntlet could be in a vault somewhere in Gringotts, passed down through the generations, but there were many complications that arose with that; firstly, Gryffindor had no recorded descendants, and the Alderfair vault wouldn't have it, considering that Miranda had never revealed the identity of her son's father, and secondly, there was the matter of Gringotts itself. The goblin bank would never allow them access, even if Gryffindor had had a vault in the first place. Their only other theory had been provided by James, who thought it reasonable that Professor Dumbledore would be in possession of the gauntlet, since there was the rumor of the Sword of Gryffindor that hung in the headmaster's office. It seemed plausible, but Cassie was still not yet convinced, and attempting another break-in was just asking for expulsion.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Marlene poked her elbow. "Here comes your lover boy."

Cassie rolled her eyes, though turned to see the Marauders walk in to the Great Hall with James and Sirius leading the pack, as ever. She wasn't afraid to admit anymore how her heart seemed to start beating twice as fast whenever Sirius walked into a room, and a pleasant thrumming began in her fingertips when he caught her eye and winked.

However, any chance of a peaceful breakfast was diminished as soon as James spotted her.

"CASSIE ALDERFAIR!" he shouted, causing half the Hall to cease their conversations and almost every eye to turn to them. Cassie, to her credit, remained calm; where once the Invisible Girl would have slid under the table in embarrassment, now she simply stayed seated, only raising a cool brow at the messy-haired boy.

"Good morning to you, too, James," she said. "Have I missed something?"

"What you _missed,_ princess, is telling me that you're going on a date with my bloody best mate!"

He was grinning from ear to ear when he finally approached her and stopped shouting, and Cassie looked to Sirius questioningly. Sirius shrugged.

"I have no idea how he found out," he said apologetically, and she grunted.

"Same here," she said, pointing to Marlene, Lily, and Alice. "Then again, I guess nothing's really a secret in Hogwarts anymore, is it?"

"Indeed not," he said, grinning. "Budge over."

"Not so fast!" James said, throwing out an arm and halting his best mate in his tracks, still grinning maniacally. "Cassie, I just want to know why."

"Er…" She looked between him and Sirius, but Sirius was just as baffled as her. Remus shook his head, shrugging, while Peter was of no use, already having tackled the breakfast platters. "Why what, James?"

The Marauder clutched at his chest as if she had dealt him a devastating blow. "Why you have forsaken our love, Cassie! I thought we had something special! And now you, the love of my life – after Evans, of course—" Lily, who had been watching with a perplexed sort of amusement, now turned away in disgust – "have betrayed me, and gone into the arms of _him!"_

He thrust a dramatic hand at Sirius, who only played along with his friend's antics. "James, mate, I'm sorry, truly. But you cannot deny that not only am I smarter and more attractive than you, but also a better Quidditch player—"

"Now you've gone too far," James said, dropping all theatrical pretense and shaking his head. "You ruined it, Pads."

Sirius snorted, ducking under his mate's arm and sliding onto the bench next to Cassie, knocking his knee with hers and grinning.

"Forgive me, Prongs," he said, as James finally sat down and shut up. "I didn't mean to wound your godly ego."

"That's rich, coming from you," Cassie pointed out, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice and grinning at his affronted look.

"You're lucky you're cute," he said, and she stuck out her tongue as James groaned from across them.

"Merlin, you two are disgusting," he said. "Am I going to have to put up with this forever now?"

"If you don't like watching, James, you can always join in," Cassie said suggestively, and Remus choked on his porridge when James paled.

"Careful, princess," he warned, recovering his wits quickly. "I might take you up on that offer."

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't," she replied, smirking into her goblet when James leaned over to Remus and whispered, "D'you think she's serious?"

Sirius shook his head from beside her. "Great, now you've given him hope for a threesome."

Cassie snickered. "Poor thing probably needs some action." She tilted her head, suddenly curious. "Has James even been with someone this year?"

Though it was common knowledge James had continuously pined over Lily since their first year, she had heard rumors of him being with other girls before. He wasn't exactly off the market, from what she understood, but typically things never worked out between him and girls, and she suddenly wondered if it was actually because of Lily.

Sirius shrugged.

"A couple dates here and there, but nothing serious," he said around a mouthful of sausage. She wrinkled her nose, and he smirked when he caught her expression. "Never is with him, anyway."

"Like you?" she said without thinking, and he stopped chewing, looking to her warily.

"What do you mean?" he said slowly, swallowing the bite in his mouth and watching her as if she were a venomous snake he had accidentally tread on.

"I didn't mean it like _that,"_ she said, gesturing to him. "Just that, well…you've never really been serious before with anyone, have you?"

Sirius leaned in, making sure no one was paying them any attention before saying, "Cass, are you worried about us?" She opened her mouth, about to protest that that hadn't been what she was saying at all, but he continued before she could. "Look, I know I haven't been the best bloke to girls, but I promise you have nothing to worry about."

"Sirius, I'm not worried," she said, laughing awkwardly at his solemn expression. "Trust me."

And it was true, she realized as she said it; she wasn't worried at all. Something had passed between her and Sirius that night she spent in his dormitory, an understanding of a feeling that they both felt, and for the first time in forever, she was sure about something in her life. They could make it work.

Sirius seemed to realize she was being truthful, for he looked immensely relieved as he went back to his sausage.

"Good," he said happily, and smirked at her when his free hand grazed the top of her knee under the table, making her feel oddly flushed.

She was unaware of the eyes trained on her back the entire time from across the Hall.

* * *

The day of the Hogsmeade trip dawned blustery and grey, with the threat of rainclouds in the distance over the mountains. Cassie fetched her maroon-and-gold scarf from her trunk, winding it snugly around her neck and hesitating, before fishing through her contents to pull out the perfume Marlene had given her for Christmas. She examined the bottle carefully before spritzing some on her wrists, hoping the scent wouldn't be too strong.

She was quite nervous as she sat around waiting for the other girls, fidgeting with her outfit and wondering if she should change – again. She didn't know why she was so anxious; it was Sirius, for Godric's sake. She'd been around him a million times before, but that didn't keep her from running her hands through her hair repeatedly, wondering if she should do something more to it rather than allowing it to just lie flat, and the more she paced by their floor-length mirror, the more she began to hate her simple combination of sweater and jeans.

"Cass, could you stop pacing?" Alice said from where she was lacing up her boots. "You're starting to wear a hole in the carpet."

"I can't, I'm ugly," Cassie said, and her friend scoffed.

"You're the daughter of the most beautiful witch in Britain, and your father isn't too shabby for an older bloke, if I do say so myself," she pointed out, and Cassie halted in her tracks, giving Alice a disgusted look.

"Are you saying my dad is fit?" she asked incredulously, and Alice shrugged, standing and grabbing her coat.

"It got you to stop pacing, didn't it?" she said, and Cassie frowned.

"C'mon, ladies," Marlene said, banging open the washroom door and filling the dormitory with the scent of vanilla, with Lily trailing behind, looking as pristine as ever. In fact, both of them looked great, and Cassie grimaced when she saw her outfit in the mirror again. "Hogsmeade won't wait on us forever."

"I'll meet you down in the courtyard," Cassie said. "I need to change—"

"No, you don't," Marlene said, cutting her off and grabbing her wrist. "You look perfectly fine, and Sirius is going to be drooling over you, anyway. He's like a dog, that one."

Cassie grinned slightly to herself, wishing Marlene could know exactly how right she was.

"Oh, fine," she said, allowing herself to be dragged out of Gryffindor Tower with the other girls as they made their way to the courtyard below.

She supposed she looked well enough – she looked the same as she always did, and if Sirius could like her in that state, then she figured she was in the clear. Still, she wondered if she should have dressed up a bit more as she eyed her friends' nicer outfits, as they would all be going out with their own dates, as well: Alice with Frank, of course, Marlene with a sixth-year Hufflepuff who was a Beater for the House team, and Lily, most surprisingly of all, with the seventh-year Gryffindor, Robert McLaggen.

"Hey," Alice said, dropping back to her side as Lily and Marlene took the lead. "You okay?"

Cassie looked to the shorter witch, her brows furrowing. "Er, yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

Alice shrugged. "It's just a big moment, y'know? I was a nervous wreck the first time I went on a date with Frank. I wanted to make sure you weren't too anxious or anything."

Cassie smiled, reaching out and grabbing Alice's hand. "You're wonderful, you know that?"

"Of course," Alice said, winking. "That's why I'm your best friend."

"I'm not nervous, not really," Cassie said, after flashing the other witch a grin. "I mean, it's just Sirius. Yes, things have changed, but he'll always be…Sirius. Does that make sense?"

Alice nodded. "You were friends first before anything. It's only natural to feel that way."

Cassie sighed. "Let's just hope this date doesn't end in disaster."

"It's Hogsmeade, Cass. What could possibly go wrong?"

"Anything and everything, my dear Alice, especially where the Marauders are involved."

Alice laughed as they descended the marble staircase and entered the Entrance Hall, where students milled about waiting for friends and dates before departing for the village. Speaking of the Marauders, Cassie saw them waiting by a pillar close to the doors, and she waved at them to get their attention.

"I'm going to find Robert," Lily said, her lip curling slightly when she saw James approaching. "We're meeting at The Three Broomsticks for lunch, yeah?"

After the other girls voiced their affirmation, Lily blew them all a kiss before ducking away into the crowd, just as James showed up with the rest of the Marauders in tow.

"Where'd Evans go?" he asked, mussing up his hair nonchalantly, but Cassie could see his eyes scanning the crowd.

"Somewhere you can't follow her around like a chicken with its head cut off," Alice said, snorting, and James frowned.

"The loo?"

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Forget it, Prongs. Don't bother her today unless you want to be on the receiving end of yet another Bat-Bogey."

James gave her a mischievous grin when she used the nickname of his Animagus form, but he looked put-out by Cassie's warning. "Ah, you're probably right. Better luck next time."

"Oh, I see Frank," Alice said, standing on her tiptoes to peer over Cassie's shoulder. "I'm off, then."

"Have fun," Cassie said, grinning when Alice gave her an encouraging thumbs-up before leaving with her boyfriend.

She turned back to the Marauders, only to frown when she noticed that Sirius and Marlene were missing. "Where'd they go?"

James shrugged. "No idea. Let's go get our names checked off."

Still frowning, Cassie followed them outside, where Filch was checking off students' names with an angry scowl on his face, while Mrs. Norris wound herself around his skinny ankles, meowing croakily.

"I really hate that cat," Peter muttered as they stood in line, watching Mrs. Norris warily.

"Why, because you're a rat?" she asked, and the smaller boy shot her a look.

"No," he said, a little too defensively, "because she's just creepy, that's all."

"Oh, so, nothing to do with the fact that she almost tried to eat you that one time?" Remus said, and Cassie snorted when Peter's face flushed and he began to sputter.

"She didn't – I wasn't – _no,"_ he said angrily, and James shook his head.

"Don't listen to him," he said to Cassie. "We were all there. Squealed just like a rat, too." He mimicked a horrible, squeaking shriek that sounded nothing like a rat, and Cassie scoffed.

"Thank you, James," she said, clapping a hand over his mouth when he continued to squeak, garnering the attention of half the courtyard. "I think you got your point across – EW!"

She yanked her hand away when she felt him lick her palm, and he shot her a wink as she wiped it on his shoulder. "Hope you learned your lesson, princess."

"Actually, James, now I'm only more curious," she said, dropping her voice lower and taking on a ridiculous seductive tone. "What else can you do with your tongue?"

It was highly amusing to watch his face turn varying shades of red, and she exchanged a high-five with Remus when the messy-haired Marauder was rendered speechless, Peter cackling and clutching his stomach behind them.

"I can't remember the last time James didn't have a comeback to an innuendo," Remus mused.

"How can you expect me to have a comeback to _her?"_ James argued, finally finding his voice again. "She looks so innocent! Merlin, princess, if I'd known you were a freak underneath all that pure-blood crap I would've dropped Evans ages ago—"

"What are we talking about, Prongs?"

Sirius sidled up to their group, looking at his best mate expectantly while James grinned sheepishly.

"Er, nothing, Pads. Just joking."

Sirius nodded, his lips quirked in a small smirk as he casually threw an arm around Cassie and pulled her closer to him.

"Where were you?" she asked, trying to act normal despite the rapid acceleration of her heartbeat when she pressed into his side. "And why are you pale?"

He grimaced, and Cassie pulled away slightly, her eyes narrowed. "Sirius?"

"It's nothing," he said. "Marlene and I just…had a little chat."

He looked haunted as he said it, and Cassie suddenly had a very good idea of what her friend could have told Sirius – or rather, threatened.

"Ah," she said knowingly. "Well, I hope she got her point across."

"Trust me," Sirius said, shuddering, "she did."

After giving Filch their names (the caretaker looked absolutely livid as he checked off the Marauders'), they wandered out of the courtyard and began following the path to the village some way away, chatting and keeping up casual conversation as they went. Sirius had let go of her waist as they walked, but he kept close to her side, occasionally brushing up against her arm and sending lightning sparking along her veins every time it happened.

When they reached the village, James gestured all of them to follow him.

"C'mon, we gotta go to Zonko's and restock on all our supplies."

"You three have fun," Cassie said, waving, but James stopped, looking back to her with a puzzled frown.

"What do you mean?" he said. "You're coming with us."

"James, mate, I think you forgot the definition of a date," Sirius said amusedly.

James looked affronted.

"No, I haven't. It's a group date." He winked at Cassie. "Sorry, princess, but if you date one of us, you date _all_ of us."

Cassie rolled her eyes.

"I don't think that's how that works, James."

"It's not," Remus agreed cheerfully, grabbing James's sleeve and dragging him after Peter and himself. "We'll catch up with you two later. Have fun!"

She could hear James protesting the whole way up the main street, and Cassie turned to Sirius, shaking her head.

"I knew I was only signing up for a lifetime of embarrassment and torment when I agreed to that alliance," she said, and Sirius grinned.

"Ah, come on, it's not that bad," he said. "After all, it landed me, didn't it?"

He grinned widely at her, grey eyes sparkling, and she punched him lightly in the arm.

"Yes, and that wonderful ego of yours, too," she said sarcastically, and he barked out a laugh. She glanced around at the shops lining either side of the street, suddenly at a loss of what to do. They hadn't discussed ideas of where to go once they got to Hogsmeade, and she mentally slapped her forehead. "Er, what should we do? I haven't really thought about anything—"

"Good," Sirius said, grinning and grabbing her hand, "because I know the perfect place."

"Er, okay," Cassie said, allowing herself to be pulled along as Sirius led her up the main street.

The village was packed with students and non-students alike, many enjoying the fresh air and nice weather the approaching spring had provided them that day. The shops were lined with new flowers and plants that had sprouted after the last of the winter had relented, and when they passed Gladrags Wizardwear, Cassie saw several new robe designs that her mother had recently published in _Witch Weekly._ Smiling to herself slightly at this, she followed Sirius to a shop that she knew well, and she looked to him in pleasant surprise.

"How did you know this was my favorite place to come?" she asked as they reached Dominic Maestro's Music Shop, and he looked back at her over his shoulder with a triumphant smirk.

"Because I know everything, love," he said, and she rolled her eyes, though her face flushed when he called her 'love.'"

They pushed their way inside, shuffling through the pack of Hogwarts students that milled around, looking at records and fiddling with the instruments on display. Cassie felt many stares boring into her back as she passed through hand-in-hand with Sirius, but for once she felt no need to hide away, instead ignoring them and focusing on where Sirius was leading her.

"A-ha," he said, apparently finding what he was looking for and dragging her over. "Take your pick, princess."

She stared at the vinyl section he had led her to, the sign above proclaiming the records to be "Muggle Rock N Roll." She stared at him blankly.

"Er, what am I supposed to do?" she asked.

"Pick a record, any one you like," he said, nodding to the stacks of records, and she bit her lip.

"I, er, don't know any," she said. "I wasn't allowed to listen to Muggle music."

He grinned.

"Neither was I," he said, "but it's much more fun to be rebellious, isn't it?"

She could feel her own grin spreading across her face, and she turned to the records eagerly, thumbing through them in interest.

"What the—"

She held up a cover in her hands, making a face at the bizarre people on it, and Sirius barked out a laugh.

"KISS," he explained, referring to the heavily-made up men on the cover, who were dressed in the strangest clothes Cassie had ever seen, with shoes that were as tall as their hair. "Good band, based on all I've heard from them. This album is supposed to be good, too."

"'Destroyer?'" she said skeptically, reading off the cover.

"C'mon, just try it," he said. When she hesitated, he gave her his best puppy-dog-eyes look, and she sighed. "Please? For me?"

"Fine," she said, rolling her eyes.

He beamed, and she could admit to swooning a little at the sight, and he led her over to one of the private listening rooms, where a gramophone was hidden behind a curtain and a Silencing Spell, so people could listen to music without bothering others. It was where she could usually be found on Hogsmeade weekends, but somehow it seemed more exciting with Sirius along for it.

They crowded into the small space, and Sirius drew the curtain behind them, having to awkwardly reach his arm around her to do so. She caught a whiff of his cologne and inhaled discreetly, finding that she quite liked the scent, and her heart seemed to beat faster on instinct as he turned to the gramophone.

"Right," he said as he put on the record. "Prepare to be blown away, princess."

Cassie automatically flinched back when the opening riff began, and she only listened as the vocals swept in, her eyes widening at the rough, scratchy voices. Sirius chuckled at her reaction.

"Muggles listen to this?" she said distastefully, and he nodded.

"It's not for everyone, granted, but at least listen to a few more songs," he urged, and she only glanced to him dubiously, but continued to listen.

As the album played on, she found that she didn't quite mind the harshness of the music anymore, focusing on what she assumed were the guitars, and tapped her foot along to the rhythm. Sirius was singing quietly under his breath next to her, his chest pressed against her back, so she could feel the vibrations of his voice on her spine, making her shiver.

"This song is sad," she said a few minutes later, surprised at what she was listening to when the track changed.

"You sound confused," Sirius said.

"I am." She frowned. "This whole album has been so…loud, but this one isn't like the others. It's sad. He just wants to go home to Beth and she's probably lonely waiting up for him." She made an angry noise in the back of her throat. "Muggle music is so confusing. How can it be so energetic one moment and then so sad the next?"

She felt him shrug against her back.

"Dunno," he said. "Maybe because that's how humans just are? It's a range of emotions; we don't feel one way all the time, and they convey that through their music."

"Like a spectrum," she said, turning around to look at him and suddenly finding his face very close to hers.

"Exactly," he agreed quietly, so close she could count every individual lash surrounding those silver eyes.

"Are you going to kiss me, Sirius Black?" she said, the sudden jitters in her stomach turning her bold where once she would have been speechless.

He smirked, his lips curling slowly, drawing her attention to them, and a pulsing heat began to rush through her as he pressed closer, practically shoving her against the gramophone while the sad song kept playing.

"Do you want me to?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper that crawled pleasantly along her skin, raising the hairs on her arms.

"I don't know," she breathed, too flustered at his proximity to think of something else to say. His smirk grew wider.

"I think it can wait, then," he said lowly, huskily.

He drew away slightly, and Cassie shivered when his body heat moved back with him.

"After all, you _did_ tell me to court you like the proper pure-blood I am," he said, raising her hand to his lips instead and brushing a featherlight kiss to the back of it, making the heat spread lower in her body.

"That's true," she managed to get out, and he grinned, pulling her in and placing another kiss on her cheek.

"Then I'll wait," he purred in her ear. "By your leave, Cassie Alderfair."

And with that, he pushed aside the curtain and stepped back out into the shop, allowing her to suck in a breath she hadn't realized she'd needed before gathering her composure and following.

* * *

James was not pleased.

"What does she see in a git like _him?"_ he fumed over a pint of butterbeer. "He's not even attractive, he's a complete duffer, about as bright as a speck of dirt, and—"

"Yes, Prongs, we get it," Remus said, interrupting his mate's rant and rolling his eyes. "We heard you the first dozen times."

"I just don't get it," he continued. "His ego is as big as his forehead, he cares more about his hair than anything else, and he's so smug and smarmy—"

Remus sighed, slumping back in his seat as if finally realizing he was fighting a lost cause.

"Let it go, James. It's just one date; they're not even officially together."

"Yet," he muttered into his mug, and Remus and Peter exchanged an exasperated look.

"Maybe you should just try getting over her," Peter suggested timidly. "I mean, it's been ages, Prongs—"

The smaller boy shut up immediately upon the withering look James sent him, hastily gulping down his butterbeer and sloshing it down his shirtfront.

James looked back to the table across the crowded pub, his eyes narrowing when he saw Evans laughing at something McLaggen had just said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. She had cut it over the holiday, he had noticed; once it had been long, a rippling river of red down her back, but now it barely brushed her shoulders. He had always thought Evans was the most beautiful witch he had ever laid eyes on, but now she was downright gorgeous. It made his heart ache just looking at her.

Luckily, he was distracted from his torment when the door to The Three Broomsticks opened, and Cassie and Sirius walked in, wide smiles on their faces and looking as if the entire world was merely a spectator when it came to the both of them together.

This did nothing to improve James's mood.

"Why Evans?" he moaned, as Sirius and Cassie headed to the bar to order drinks. "Why can't I be interested in someone like Cassie? At least she can stand being in my presence for more than two seconds."

"Reconsidering her offer, then, Prongs?" Remus said, snorting into his mug when James blanched.

"Shove off," he grumbled, glaring at the two boys as Peter began wiggling his tongue and making inappropriate noises.

"Ah, Pete, good to see you practicing what sounds you'll be making when you finally lose your virginity."

Remus moved over to make room for Sirius, and James grudgingly slid down the bench when Cassie bumped him lightly with her hip.

"What's got you looking so grumpy?" she said when she noticed James's scowl, and her question only made him scowl further.

"Evans problems," Remus filled her in, nodding his head to where she sat with the git McLaggen, and Cassie's eyes lit up in understanding when she followed his gaze. "Ah, I see."

She nestled closer into James's side, putting her head on his shoulder so he was forced to look at her.

"Don't sweat it, kid," she said sympathetically. "There's much better things to do than mope."

"Easy for you to say," he retorted, glancing to Sirius, who only raised his eyebrows.

He looked back to Cassie, searching her dark eyes and wondering why he always saw green, no matter what color eyes the girl he was with at the time being had. He always came back to Evans, and it was maddening.

He remembered the Christmas holiday, after Cassie had spent the remainder of it with him and the others, and his mother pulling him aside before they set off for King's Cross.

"You and Cassie seem very close," she had said, under the guise of asking him to help her with the laundry, despite their house-elf being able to manage it all in about thirty seconds.

"Er, yeah," he had said, confused. "What about it?"

His mother had shrugged, but James had seen the look on her face – it had been her meddling look.

"Well, I was just curious," she had said. "She's very sweet, and bright, and not to mention beautiful – it's clear she got all her looks from Eleanor, she always was the prettiest witch in school—"

 _"Mum,"_ he had protested. "Cassie's just a friend, seriously." He'd snorted. "Besides, it's an unspoken rule that Sirius has dibs on her—"

That had been the end of it, but sometimes the thought still niggled at the back of his mind, especially when he began thinking about Evans. His mother had been right in everything she had said about Cassie, and if he had been smart, he should've taken his chance – Cassie was the perfect girl, but instead he was stuck pining over one who wouldn't even give him the time of day, and worse, hated him utterly.

"Chin up, mate," Sirius said consolingly. "Cassie's right; you're acting like Moaning Myrtle—"

James opened his mouth to retort, but he was cut off when Cassie gasped, nearly knocking over her tankard.

The Marauders turned to her in alarm, and James leaned into her, searching her face frantically.

"Cass, what's wrong?" he said. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"That's it," she whispered, staring off at something none of them could see, but James could tell her mind was flying faster than a phoenix. "Merlin, of _course_ that's it. All this time it was right under my nose…"

The four boys exchanged a wary glance.

"Er, Cass, what was?" Remus asked.

She focused back on them, her eyes still wide.

"Moaning Myrtle," she said. "She told me ages ago that I reminded her of someone, another ghost."

Remus was the first to cotton on, and his jaw went slack.

"Miranda," he said. "You think her ghost is at Hogwarts?"

"There's only one way to find out," she said, clutching the clockwork locket in her hand and looking more hopeful than James had seen her in months. "We need to talk to Moaning Myrtle."

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!**

 ***A/N: Despite the background James/Cassie dynamic in this chapter, it is not my intention for them to be anything more than friends, or to suddenly change direction and introduce a love triangle plot - Cassie and Sirius are endgame. The only reason why I included this was to provide some background for James's character and why he's so stuck on Lily, despite having a seemingly "perfect girl" who would be better for him than one who "hates" him - because in simple terms, the heart wants what it wants when it comes to him. And that is all I have to say on that. Reviews and PM's are more than welcome, however, if you have any other thoughts or questions!***

 **Next Chapter: _The Locket's Secret_**

 **xx**


	33. The Locket's Secret

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I have quite a love-hate for this chapter, I will admit, but as they say, the show must go on. Or in this case, story, because we only have six more chapters until the end of fifth year! Woo!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows (seriously - this story is on the first page if you filter Sirius/OC stories! What?!) and of course to all my reviewers from last time. Y'all are amazing!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Locket's Secret

"Cassie! Cassie, wait!"

The young witch gave no sign of having heard her pursuers, continuing her brisk pace back to the castle with the Marauders on her heels.

"Cassie, will you please just stop for a minute?"

At James's insistent plea, she finally halted in her tracks and turned to face the four boys scrambling in her wake, her features betraying her impatience.

"What?" she demanded, eyeing James with a steely glint in her gaze as he clutched at a stitch in his side, panting.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To talk to Moaning Myrtle," she said. "Didn't I just say that five minutes ago, in The Three Broomsticks?"

"Yeah, but…why?"

She shot an exasperated look to Remus, who took his silent cue and kindly filled James in.

"Myrtle might know something about Miranda, or at least where her ghost might be," he said, and Sirius held up his hands in a "slow down" gesture.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "You think Miranda is a ghost, and _Moaning Myrtle_ might know her?"

"Myrtle said I reminded her of someone, months ago," Cassie said. "I thought she meant my brother, but she said it was a ghost." When James, Sirius, and Peter exchanged a dubious glance, she sighed in frustration. "This could be the last clue! Think about it: Miranda went to Hogwarts, and she was in love with Godric Gryffindor. If she became a ghost, where would be the most logical place for her to haunt?"

"But we would've seen her by now, wouldn't we?" Peter said nervously. "I mean, there's a ton of ghosts at Hogwarts, but I think you would've recognized one that looks exactly like you."

"Unless she's hiding," Remus suggested. "Not every ghost wishes to be seen. Or she could be haunting a part of the castle that's off-limits."

Cassie nodded, glad that at least Remus seemed to be on her side. She looked to Sirius, finding him watching her intently, and she raised a brow in silent challenge to him, knowing that he must have more to say.

"I'm not doubting you, Cass," he said, "but are you really sure you're ready to have an answer?"

She blinked at him, uncomprehending, and he elaborated.

"Whatever answers Miranda may have," he said slowly, "are you sure you're ready to hear them?"

Her first instinct was to roll her eyes and scoff, but the brunt of his question made her hesitate, the full realization of it hitting her all at once.

If she found Miranda, and her ancestor provided her with what she sought, then that would be it. There would be no more clues, no more mystery. She might be able to find the Gauntlet of Gryffindor – but what then? She would be in possession of the object Will, Carlisle, and Lord Voldemort all wanted, but what would she do with it?

Her obvious answer would be to destroy it, but could she? Did she even know how? Giving it away also sounded enticing, but if Voldemort and the Death Eaters wanted it so badly, then it would be better off gone entirely. The gauntlet was powerful, that much she could infer, and allowing it to fall into the wrong hands would be disastrous.

Then what was she to do?

She looked back to Remus, and some sort of understanding seemed to pass between them, for she suddenly had her answer.

"I'm ready," she said. "Whatever we find, I know I was meant to be the one to find it. And when we do, we'll go straight to Dumbledore. He's the only one Voldemort fears, and if anyone can help us, then it's him."

The Marauders all flinched at the use of the Dark Lord's name, but they glanced from her to each other, determination filling their gazes. She caught Sirius's eye and he winked, a flicker of pride in his eyes that strengthened her resolve.

"It's time to end this once and for all."

* * *

The castle was blessedly empty when the five returned from Hogsmeade. Most students and staff were still in the village for the day, and their progress was unhindered as they made their way to the girls' lavatory on the second floor.

Cassie had not been back to the lavatory since her confrontation with Peggy Sloane and the other Slytherin girls, and she hoped that Myrtle would be willing to help her again, especially if she knew where Miranda was.

They came upon the lavatory, and Cassie began to push her way inside, when she realized that the boys had all stopped following her. She turned around and saw them standing uncertainly, and she raised a questioning brow.

"What are you lot waiting on?" she said. "Let's go!"

"But…it's the girls' loo," said Peter, with an uneasy look to the door behind her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," she snapped. "No one's used it in years, and there's nobody around to see. Now, come on!"

She marched inside without waiting for an answer, but a few moments later the Marauders reluctantly trailed after her, gazing about the lavatory as if something nasty were going to jump out of the shadows and attack them.

"Myrtle?" Cassie called when there was no sign of the moping ghost. "Myrtle, are you there? We need to speak to you!"

"You don't have to shout quite so loud," a petulant voice said from behind her, and they spun around to see Moaning Myrtle gliding through one of the stall doors, her translucent form melting through like smoke. She gazed forlornly at Cassie before her eyes – large behind her circular spectacles – landed on the Marauders, and her gaze turned suspicious.

"Boys aren't allowed in here," she said, but her face suddenly turned into a coy smile when she spotted James. "Except that one. He's rather handsome."

James spluttered, his face turning red, and Remus thumped him on the back, smothering his laughter behind his hand. Peter was staring in equal parts awe and fear at the ghost, while Sirius seemed vaguely insulted that she had called James the handsome one rather than him.

"Er, yeah," said Cassie. "Don't worry though, Myrtle, they're friends."

"Bullies and troublemakers, more like," the ghost said, sniffing. "Oh, yes, news travels, even down to my drainpipe," she said to the Marauders' baffled looks. "You four boys are always the ones pranking and jinxing people for fun. Peeves talks about you all the time." Her eyes narrowed, which produced a slightly comical effect with her glasses. "And the people Peeves likes, I hate."

"They're not like that anymore," said Cassie hastily, hoping she could keep Myrtle's attention long enough to get the answers she needed. "But you remember me though, right, Myrtle?"

"Of course I do," she said, turning her owlish gaze back to Cassie. "You're the girl those Slytherins dragged in here that one time."

Cassie nodded encouragingly. Myrtle remembered her!

"And do you remember anything you told me?" she asked eagerly. "About how I looked like someone you had seen before? A ghost?"

Myrtle seemed to sigh, drifting over to the row of sinks and perching on the edge of one. Cassie didn't know how that was possible, but she wasn't here to debate ghost logic, and instead looked after her pleadingly.

"She told me you would come looking for her one of these days," she said, and Cassie exchanged a thrilled look with the Marauders.

"Miranda?" asked Cassie. "Are you talking about Miranda?"

Myrtle nodded slowly.

"I've only seen her a handful of times," she admitted. "Talked to her even less; she's very lonely, even for a ghost. Sad. She chooses to stay away from the castle most of the time."

"But she's here?" Cassie said, and Myrtle nodded. "Where?"

"She'll come when she's ready," the ghost said morosely.

"What's that supposed to mean?" piped up James.

"That ghosts have their own free will, just the same as the living," Myrtle snapped, and he held up his hands in a placating gesture. The ghostly girl sighed, her gaze suddenly softening. "How splendid it would feel to be alive again, though. Especially with a boy like you around to make existence so much more bearable."

"What happened to you, anyway?" asked Sirius, speaking up for the first time since they had entered the bathroom.

Myrtle cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Er, how did you…you know…" He trailed off, gesturing vaguely to her, and Myrtle's cheeks turned pearly as his question sank in.

"None of your business," she snapped, before turning back to James. "But if _you_ really want to know… Well, I suppose the whole thing is rather tragic…"

"Another time, perhaps, Myrtle."

Cassie whirled at the sound of the voice, her heart leaping into her throat. Even if she had not heard that very same voice in her dreams before, the similarity to her own was enough to conclude who it belonged to, and she turned to see her ancestor staring right at her.

"Bloody hell," she heard Sirius mutter behind her, which about summed up her own feelings as she looked into a face eerily identical to hers.

Even as a ghost, Miranda's features were as distinct as Cassie's own, though it was obvious that Miranda had grown into her womanhood gracefully, while Cassie still appeared adolescent in most aspects. The likeness was still there, however, and Cassie couldn't help but to stare as Miranda drifted closer, long hair unbound and ghostly robes trailing after her.

"Marvelous," the ghost murmured, gazing at Cassie intently, and Cassie was sure that if she were alive, Miranda's eyes would be the exact shade of her own. "It is rare for two people to look so alike, but our resemblance in uncanny." Her eyes swept over Cassie, and she suppressed the urge to shiver. "Some think that doppelgangers appear in old family lines to correct the past mistakes of their ancestors. I used to scoff at the theory, but seeing you in the flesh…" She smiled ruefully. "Well, let us say that there are many things I did wrong in my life."

"How are you here?" asked Cassie, finding her voice again. "I read about your life in an old family book. It said you died somewhere else, not Hogwarts."

"The soul returns to the place where earthly ties are the strongest," Miranda said. "For mine, it was my beloved school – the first place I could call home, the first place where I found love."

"Godric Gryffindor," Cassie said, and there was a pain in Miranda's eyes at the mention of her old lover that made Cassie's heart pinch. "You loved him."

"More than anything," whispered Miranda.

"That's why you hid the last memory of him," Cassie said, and Miranda nodded. "The gauntlet."

"I couldn't let anyone have it," she said, her face anguished. "It was cursed by that vile creature. He died because of it. I had to hide it."

"And the serpent?" asked Cassie hesitantly, remembering her dream of Godric's death.

Miranda's eyes flickered with a deep rage, and her form seemed to tremble for an instant before she became stable again.

"Slytherin," she hissed. "His lust for me was as strong as his hatred for Godric. He followed us into the forest that night, in the form of a serpent. He struck Godric down, I am sure of it." Her features contorted painfully. "I left Godric to fend for himself that night. A thousand years, and the blame still rests on my shoulders."

"You were pregnant," said Cassie gently. "You had to protect yourself and your son."

"My son." Miranda smiled tremulously at some long-forgotten memory. "I gave him that locket, you know." She pointed to the clockwork locket around Cassie's neck, and she touched her fingers to it, feeling it pulse against her skin.

"My brother found it," she said. "He gave it to me and enchanted it with a warning."

She raised the locket and touched it to her lips, her breath fogging against the ruby as she whispered, "Sparks."

Instantly, the locket sprang open, the gears whirring, and the enchantment echoed around the bathroom:

 _"A thousand years' slumber,_

 _In a tomb beyond light,_

 _If Darkness adds to its number,_

 _The world shall fall to night."_

The words hung heavy in the air as Cassie closed the locket, and Miranda seemed paler than her usual ghostly pallor as she stared at Cassie.

"What does it mean?" she asked, and Cassie traded a disappointed look with the Marauders.

"We were hoping you could tell us," she said, trying to hide the bitterness in her voice, and Miranda suddenly seemed thoughtful.

"Why would your brother enchant it with such a message?" she asked.

"There's a Dark wizard gathering followers and trying to gain power," she explained. "My brother infiltrated his ranks to try and find something to bring him down, and he gave me the locket to try and help him. We think that this Dark wizard is trying to find Gryffindor's gauntlet – for what, we don't know, but we intend to stop that from happening, so we never have to find out."

She looked to her ancestor pleadingly.

"That's why we need your help. Please, if there's anything you can tell us about the gauntlet, or where to find it, then please help us. If not for the sake of the wizarding world, then for my brother, your descendant, too. Please."

Miranda gazed at Cassie for a long time, her features unreadable, before sighing.

"I swore I would never allow the gauntlet to see the light of day again. But," she said, holding up a hand when Cassie's face fell, "if it means getting rid of it forever, then I cannot stand in your way."

"Then you'll help us?"

Miranda nodded. "I will."

Cassie felt hope surge in her chest, a kind of hope she had not felt in a very long time, and she faced Miranda squarely, determined. "What must we do?"

"There is a well, hidden deep in the Forbidden Forest. I concealed it with a protection spell, but I am afraid the seal may have broken after my death. I hid the gauntlet inside the well, locked away in a chest at the very bottom." She nodded to the locket at Cassie's throat. "The locket is the only way to open the chest. Simply place it in the lock and turn it like a key. The enchantment should be enough to gain you access to the gauntlet.

"However, you should be warned that I was not the only one who knew of the well's location."

"Salazar Slytherin," Cassie guessed. "He knew where it was, too."

Miranda nodded. "Indeed. He may have gone back after my death to find the gauntlet, and placed curses or other foul things in your path. You must be careful. Others have been seeking the gauntlet, as well."

"We know," Cassie said, scowling at the reminder of Carlisle and the Slytherins, "but we'll find it first."

Miranda suddenly looked ponderous as she studied Cassie.

"You are a true Gryffindor," she said. "Godric's legacy lives on in his descendant. He would be proud."

Cassie flushed at the high praise, and Miranda smiled warmly.

"You must promise me one thing, Cassie Alderfair," she said, and Cassie looked to her questioningly. "Destroy the gauntlet. The power left behind in it should never fall into the wrong hands."

"Believe me," Cassie said, "no one is going to be getting anywhere near that gauntlet."

"Then it is done," said Miranda. "Once the gauntlet is destroyed, then the curse upon it will be broken."

"And you?" Miranda seemed confused, so Cassie elaborated. "Once the gauntlet is gone, then you won't have reason to stay here anymore, right?"

"Perhaps." Miranda pursed her lips. "My soul imprinted to this world because I was afraid of death. I chose not to pass on." Her gaze turned haunted. "I have regretted my choice every day since. It has prevented me from being reunited with my soulmate and my son. If I am ever given the choice again after the curse is broken, then I will pass on without hesitation. If not…"

Cassie had the sudden urge to reach out and take her hand, but resisted, knowing her own hand would only pass through and feel like she had just dunked it in ice water.

"You'll be free, I promise," Cassie swore, and an almost imperceptible magic rippled through the air. "Thank you, Miranda. We'll find the gauntlet."

"Good luck, Cassie Alderfair," her ancestor said, beginning to drift back to wherever she had kept herself hidden for a thousand years. "You will need it before your task is completed."

* * *

The five emerged from the girls' lavatory to stand in an awkward cluster in the middle of the corridor, Miranda's words still looming over their heads like an ominous cloud.

Naturally, James was the one to break the silence.

"Well," he said, with fake enthusiasm, "that was the weirdest fucking thing that's happened to me so far."

"Keep your voice down," Remus hissed. "There could be teachers nearby."

"I need a shower," Peter murmured, his eyes wide. "A long, hot shower where I can forget about everything that I just saw."

"What, was the girls' loo really that terrifying?" Sirius jeered.

"Says the bloke who looked at the faucet like it was about to bite him," Cassie said, raising a brow, but he only rolled his eyes at her.

"I can't believe a ghost hit on me," James said, shaking his head. "Where'd she go, anyway? She just disappeared when Miranda showed up."

"Didn't you see her poking her head out of the toilet behind you, Prongs?" said Sirius. "Wicked little thing; couldn't keep those bug eyes of hers off your arse."

"Moving away from the subject of James's arse," Remus interjected, turning to face Cassie seriously, "what are we going to do about the you-know-what?"

"Find it," Cassie said firmly. "I made a promise to Miranda, and besides that, this thing needs to be taken care of. I could thwart Voldemort and Carlisle and help Will in one go. It has to be me."

"Us," James said, winking when Cassie turned to him in confusion. "You really think we'd let you handle this on your own, princess?"

"James is right," Remus agreed. "We've come this far with you, Cassie. We're not backing out now." He nudged Peter, and the smaller boy squeaked, "Yeah, what Moony said."

"We made an alliance," Sirius said, his eyes intent upon her face. "We're with you, no matter what."

Cassie glanced around, seeing the same look of resolve in each of their faces – even Peter, despite his clear uneasiness. And she knew within that moment that they were true; she didn't know how they had gotten to this place, from an insignificant scavenger hunt to here, willing to do whatever it took to find some cursed object together, but she knew that she would do it all again in a heartbeat. They were the Marauders, and she could tell that now, after only looking at them, that she was their fifth, and they were her matching counterparts.

"After the Easter holidays, then," she said. "My mum wants me home, but after that, we'll find the gauntlet."

"Sounds like a plan," said James, his face lighting up at the prospect of mischief and adventure. "Those Dark bastards aren't gonna know what hit 'em."

* * *

Regulus Black was many things, but he was not a fool; that had been evident since he first stepped foot into Hogwarts aged eleven.

After being Sorted into Slytherin (after all, he was a Black. Where else was he expected to go? Well, Sirius had always been a rebel; he was the exception, but Regulus was not. He was a Slytherin, through and through), he had made quick note of the attitudes of his fellow Housemates regarding the other students and blood purity and could not help but to scoff at it – inwardly, of course. It would not do to be as outspoken and pig-headed as his brother.

No, Regulus was far too smart to play into blood status and noble politics. He played the part naturally, and exceedingly well, of course, but his peers' fascination with superiority was distasteful to him, often grating at times. If you were smart, you were smart; if you had magic, you had magic. The concept was simple to him – obvious, even – yet those around him could never seem to grasp it, instead concerning themselves with how "pure" their blood was.

Because incest was so pure, he could not help thinking derisively. He should know; his own family was culpable in doing it.

The Dark Lord and his Death Eaters were no different. Though Regulus had followed the movement closely, from its uprising to now, even going so far as to cut out newspaper clippings and the like of their campaign, he still found the entire thing quite boring and unnecessary. By his own musings, he imagined the Dark Lord to be compensating for something; he was hiding behind an identity for a reason, or else why not just use his given name? Likely, he was not even a pure-blood at all, and his campaign was just a front to an entirely more sinister purpose – but to what? Well, that remained a mystery for the time being, but Regulus was certain he could figure it out.

He had thought that Cassie Alderfair would be able to provide him with some answers, but the dark-haired witch remained infuriatingly out of his reach. She was too untrusting of him – not that he could blame her, of course. After all, Cassie Alderfair was smart, but he was smarter.

He knew that the merry band of Gryffindors that included herself and his insufferable brother would be the ones to find whatever Carlisle was seeking. Therefore, he found it more productive to sit back and let them do all the work while Carlisle and his Housemates blundered on their heels like blind hounds on the hunt.

Not that he had any interest in the object they sought – far from it, in fact. He could care less for it. He much preferred to ponder on _why_ the Dark Lord wanted it – an object that had close ties to Godric Gryffindor, of all people. This had been Regulus's mission from the start, to penetrate the cloud of mystery and fear that surrounded the Dark Lord, for he was an enigma, and there was nothing that Regulus loved more than a good mystery.

He was interrupted from his reading when a body sunk into the armchair opposite him in the Slytherin Common Room, but he did not look up, only saying coolly, "Can I help you with something, Avery?"

"Carlisle's summoned a meeting tonight," the older boy said. "She wants an update on our progress."

"And have we made any?" he drawled. When Avery said nothing, he chuckled darkly into his book. "As I suspected."

"She's going to start punishing us if we keep turning up empty-handed," said Avery.

"Then might I suggest turning up with something instead?"

"Don't act so high and mighty, Reg," Avery sneered. "You're in the same boat as the rest of us."

"As _you,_ you mean," Regulus said, finally looking up from his book and narrowing his eyes. Avery glared back, his pale eyes showing his irritation; it had always been so easy to get him riled up. "You're the one who ratted on Alderfair, remember?"

Avery flushed.

"That wasn't me!" he hissed, lowering his voice so the third-years doing homework next to them wouldn't hear. "I don't know why she stopped trusting me—"

"She played you, Ed, that's why," Regulus said, snapping his book shut. "Alderfair doesn't trust anyone besides her loving little Gryffindors. Get over yourself."

Avery's fingers clenched and unclenched on the arms of his chair, and Regulus suddenly had a thought.

"You poor thing," he said, and Avery's head snapped in his direction. "You actually thought you had a chance with her, didn't you?"

"She is nothing to me," he growled, and Regulus smiled lazily at him.

"Except your salvation." Avery dropped his eyes, scowling. "She and her brother were the shining examples of standing up to the Dark Lord, and you fell for her. A shame she's shacking up with my brother now, isn't it?"

"She played you too," he shot back. "Why else would you still be working with Carlisle?"

"Because I knew she would flip," he said, shrugging. "And so I let her. Carlisle is just a means to an end, as I'm sure you understand."

"I don't," Avery said, and Regulus refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Of course you don't," he said. "But that's why I'm the smart one."

"Watch yourself, Black," he warned.

"Or what? You'll jinx me like some poor Mudblood?" This time, he did roll his eyes. "And you wonder why Alderfair looked right over you."

Avery stood up abruptly, his face a deep red.

"Seven o'clock, Carlisle's office," he said. "Don't be late."

Regulus watched him stalk away, letting his fingers idly trace the embossed lettering on his book's cover. Yes, Regulus was certainly no fool, so he knew with utter conviction that the mysteries of Cassie Alderfair and the Dark Lord were only the beginnings of a storm that had yet to burst.

And when it did, the wizarding world would never be the same.

* * *

 **Please review!**

 **I realized that Avery and Regulus have been missing from the picture for a while, so I hope that last bit made up for it, and also cleared up some things that happened earlier.**

 **Next Chapter: _The House of Alderfair_**

 **xx**


	34. The House of Alderfair

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **A quick update?! I know, I can hardly believe it myself, and I'm the one who wrote the damn thing.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thank you to my reviewers from last time! I'm going to start trying to respond to all of your reviews personally from here on out, because it's getting kinda out of control trying to put everyone's names up here - and for incentive, I do like to give away some small spoilers ;)**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: The House of Alderfair

The sun dazzled from its high place in the sky as the Hogwarts Express trundled through the Scottish countryside, the new green of spring flashing by the compartment windows where Cassie sat with Marlene, Lily, and Alice.

The three girls had listened in rapt silence as Cassie explained what had happened with Moaning Myrtle and her meeting with Miranda, and the silence stretched on for several moments after she had finished her recount.

"I can't believe Miranda's ghost has been at Hogwarts this whole time," Lily said finally, shaking her head. "How come we've never seen her?"

Cassie shrugged. "Dunno. Myrtle said she usually stayed away from the castle. She must have been guarding the gauntlet, keeping out of sight lest anyone recognize her and find where it was hidden."

"And she said the gauntlet was at the bottom of a well?" asked Alice. "And you think the well is in the Forbidden Forest?"

"It makes sense," Cassie said. "The Thief who cursed the gauntlet in the first place had been the guardian of the forest before he was killed by Gryffindor, and all the dreams I've had have connected to the forest in some way."

"And Carlisle was looking for something in the forest," Marlene recalled, looking uncharacteristically solemn, and Cassie nodded.

"You just need to be careful, Cassie," Lily implored. "This is all starting to sound so dangerous."

"Which is why we're getting Dumbledore involved as soon as we find the gauntlet," Cassie said firmly. "Dumbledore's the most powerful wizard in centuries; even Voldemort fears him."

The three girls shuddered at the name, but Cassie was done being scared. Voldemort had picked the wrong family to mess with, and by Godric was she going to be the one to bring him down.

"You-Know-Who is powerful, too," Marlene said, her blue eyes wide and anxious.

"He can't touch me at Hogwarts," Cassie pointed out, though she was acutely aware that she would not have the school's protection while she was away at home for the holiday. She could only hope that the Dark Lord wouldn't feel the need to ambush her again.

"Lily's right, though," Alice said. "Are you sure you shouldn't just let Dumbledore find the gauntlet?"

Cassie was already shaking her head before her friend had even finished speaking.

"If Will wanted Dumbledore to find the object, he would've given him the locket," she said. "I had dreams about Miranda before I even knew the gauntlet was what we were looking for. I'm the one who has to get it."

"I'm afraid you were going to say that," Lily said, sighing. "And I suppose the Marauders are going to help you?"

Cassie nodded, hearing the underlying challenge in her voice, but her past worries of choosing between them and the Marauders seemed so distant it was almost laughable.

"They're my friends too," she said, and there was a long moment where both girls stared at each other, unwilling to back down.

"Let it go, Lily," Alice said, raising her brows when both girls turned to stare at her instead, though she directed her next sentence to Cassie. "We're with you too, Cass. We'll help you in any way we can."

Marlene voiced her agreement, and though Lily seemed miffed at having been chided, she nodded her consent to Cassie, her green eyes blazing with determination. Cassie felt her heart swell close to bursting at their willingness and loyalty, despite the certain danger ahead of them.

"Thank you," she said, oddly choked. "If there's anything I need, I'll make sure to come to you."

The four girls clasped hands, shaking on their promise, though the moment was shattered when something hit their compartment door with a loud thump, causing them to yelp and leap back into their seats.

They looked to the door and saw James with his face pressed against the window, his features flattened against the glass with his spectacles askew and his breath fogging the surface, making faces at them from the corridor.

"Oh, for the love of Merlin," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"That's disgusting," Marlene commented, wrinkling her nose while Alice flipped him the bird.

"I guess that's my cue," Cassie said, sighing and getting to her feet. "See you on the platform?"

The other girls nodded, settling back into their seats as Cassie left the compartment. She opened the door and stepped out, forcing James away from the window. He grinned at her and perched his glasses higher on his nose again, before turning his attention to Lily.

"Happy to see me, Evans?" he called to her, mussing up his hair as she gave him a look of cold disdain.

"Happy to see you leave," she retorted, but his grin only widened.

"Ah, Evans; as lovely and pleasant as ever."

"C'mon, deer-boy," Cassie said, gripping the sleeve of his jumper and dragging him off down the corridor before Lily could hex him.

"I'm a _stag,"_ he said petulantly once they were out of earshot, "not a _deer."_

She rolled her eyes. "Same difference."

James sighed, his grin fading into a frustrated frown. "I don't get it, Cass."

"Get what?"

"Evans," he said, waving his hand behind them. "Why does she hate me so much?"

"Oh, no," Cassie said, shaking her head quickly. "I am _not_ putting myself in the middle of you and Lily. No way."

"I just don't understand!" he groaned. "You and Sirius used to hate each other, but now you're dating. You opened up, Cass, but _she_ won't."

She raised a brow at him. "Are you saying I'm easy, Potter?"

"What? No!" He grimaced at the haughty look she had fixed him with. "I'm just saying that…well…you and Sirius are made to be, y'know? Written in the stars and all that." He grinned at his pun, but she was unimpressed. "Evans… I dunno, Cassie. I just have a feeling that we're the same way – she just won't _see_ it."

Cassie couldn't help but take pity on him, he looked so hopeful.

"Maybe you're right, James," she said cautiously. "Only time will tell."

He shot her a brilliant smile as they came to the Marauders' compartment and entered, flinging himself down next to Remus while she settled between Sirius and Peter. Sirius winked at her as she sat down, lazily throwing his arm around her shoulders and drawing her closer.

That was one thing she had noticed becoming more frequent since their Hogsmeade date, was the casual way in which he always seemed to have a part of himself touching her, almost unthinkingly. She didn't mind it, of course; it was just in the unconscious manner he did it that interested her. She had to wonder if his upbringing had anything to do with it; Walburga and Orion did not seem the affectionate type, so his craving for contact did not seem such a far-fetched idea.

"Hello, love," he said, and she smiled at him, fighting the blush threatening to overtake her face.

"Long time, no see," she replied; she had seen him at breakfast not two hours before, but with the smirk he gave her then, she would have gladly sat and stared at him for the rest of the day.

"Ugh, just snog and get it over with already," James said from across them, staring at the two in disgust.

"I was under the impression you wanted to join in, James," Cassie said, cocking her brow. "Or has my invitation been rejected?"

Remus snorted. "Stop trying to get Prongs to have a threesome with you, Cass. We all know he's too much of a prude."

Peter giggled from next to her when James turned on Remus, affronted.

 _"Me?"_ he said incredulously. "I get more action than you, Moony!"

"Then maybe you could take James's place, Remus," Cassie said, batting her eyelashes, and the sandy-haired boy laughed at the strangled noise that came out of James's mouth.

"Oi, I don't share," Sirius said, tugging her hair and chuckling.

"Your loss, Pads," Remus replied, shrugging, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, can we play Exploding Snap?" Peter broke in, obviously disliking how he had been left out of the conversation.

James groaned. "We always play Snap, Pete. Let's go jinx Snivellus or something."

Peter's disappointment changed to excitement immediately. "Ooh, yes! Make him tap dance again, Prongs!"

Goaded on by Peter's words, James got to his feet and started for the door, the predatory smirk he reserved only for Snape already on his face.

"James, that's not a good idea," Cassie protested, but he was already out the door, Peter on his heels and babbling enthusiastically.

Remus sighed. "I'll go make sure he doesn't cause any permanent damage."

He departed as well, leaving Cassie and Sirius alone, which she was very much aware of.

Sirius seemed to notice too, for they fidgeted awkwardly for a few moments in silence, the only sound the roaring of the steam engine as it thundered down the tracks.

"So," she said, trying to break the loaded silence, "are you going home for the holiday?"

He shook his head, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "Nah, I'm staying with James and his parents."

Cassie looked to him sympathetically. "Trouble at home?"

"Nothing worse than usual." He shrugged casually, but she felt his arm tense around her. "I'm just not in the mood to see my family."

"And Regulus?" She saw his jaw tighten at the mention of his brother. "Have you talked to him lately?"

"Not since…" He trailed off, his face scrunching. "Dunno, really. Not for a while."

She nodded, feeling a bit guilty; she hoped the whole fiasco with Avery and Regulus hadn't driven a deeper wedge between the brothers, but he went on before she could ask.

"What about you?" he said, squeezing her shoulder. "Do you think Will's going to come home?"

"I doubt it." She shook her head sadly. "The last time we spoke he made it sound like he was being watched, and after everything that's happened, I don't think Voldemort would be stupid enough to let him out of his sight, especially now that he knows of my involvement."

Sirius scowled. "You should've stayed at school, Cassie. What if he shows up at your house again?"

"Hogwarts can't protect me forever, Sirius," she said, smiling ruefully. "I'll have to leave it sometime. Besides, I'm done hiding myself away. If he wants to find me, then he knows where to come to."

"I wish you would at least let me stay with you," he said grumpily.

"And be tortured by my mother for the next two weeks for bringing a boy home?" Cassie snorted. "I'll pass."

He didn't seem amused by her joke. "We wouldn't have to tell her I'm your boyfriend—"

They both seemed to realize what he had said at the same moment, for the compartment became awkward and tense again.

"We've been on one date," Cassie pointed out, scratching at her jeans as if they had something on them and not looking at him. "And you haven't properly asked me to be your girlfriend, so…"

She trailed off, sneaking a glance at him from behind her hair to find him watching her thoughtfully. "What?"

"Do you want me to?"

She stared at him, bewildered. "Do I want you to what?"

"Ask you to be my girlfriend," he said. "Officially."

Her cheeks flamed instantly, and she stammered, flustered, "I – er – I—"

He raised his eyebrows, and she realized how serious he was being, his face solemn and his eyes probing, mixed with – nervousness? She must be hallucinating; Sirius Black didn't _get_ nervous, especially when it came to girls. In an instant, though, his expression had changed back to a smirk.

"We'll still court like proper pure-bloods, of course," he said. "Walks in the garden, dances in the ballroom, keeping six inches apart all the while—"

"You're insufferable," Cassie said, smacking his arm and laughing.

"Is that a yes, then?" he said, serious once more, and she took a deep breath before nodding.

"Yes, Sirius Black," she said, something like a swarm of butterflies tickling her belly when his face split into a wide grin, making him handsomer than ever. "I will be your girlfriend."

"Brilliant," was his suave reply, and they smiled at each other for a long moment until an echoing _BANG_ rang through the corridor, with several yells and screams following.

They sighed, and said at the same time, in the same defeated tone, "James," before moving in tandem to see what damage the Marauder had done this time.

* * *

The lamps were lit by the time the train pulled into Platform 9 ¾, with twilight settling over London beyond. The platform was less crowded than usual as Cassie disembarked with her trunk and rucksack (having left Osbourne at Hogwarts over the break, where he was content to stay in the Owlery upon her return), the Marauders and the girls close behind. Most students preferred to stay at the castle over the Easter holiday to prepare for exams, which seemed like overkill touched with paranoia to Cassie, but at least the platform wasn't so clogged, as she spotted her mother immediately in the crowd.

"Cassie!" Eleanor called, swooping upon her daughter in a flurry of fuchsia robes, her signature peacock-feathered quill keeping her elaborately styled hair in place. Cassie thought her ribs were going to crush under the pressure of her mother's hug, but luckily Eleanor released her before that could happen, instead pouncing on her friends.

"Marlene, dear," she said, kissing Marlene's cheeks lightly. "Each time I see you you're lovelier than the last."

Marlene seemed star-struck by Eleanor's comment, and Cassie rolled her eyes playfully at the blonde girl.

"Lily, Alice," Eleanor continued, clearly enjoying herself at her daughter's expense. "Wonderful to see you both again."

They greeted Eleanor politely before practically being shoved away by James, who strode importantly to the front of the throng.

"Madam Alderfair," he said, using the deeper, more mature voice he reserved only to charm people with. He stooped and kissed her hand, and Eleanor watched him amusedly. "I think I was a child the last time I saw you, but you seem more beautiful than I remember."

"Euphemia's boy, yes?" she asked, and he nodded importantly. "I'll have to remember to drop her a line about your excellent manners."

James puffed out his chest slightly, though he stuck his tongue out at Cassie once Eleanor had turned away. Cassie only put up her middle finger in reply.

"Ah, dear Sirius!" she exclaimed, rounding on the dark-haired boy and beaming. "How are you, darling?"

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Alderfair," he said politely, and Cassie didn't know whether to laugh at his manners or flee before her mother could embarrass her further. It was agonizing to see her speaking with Sirius, especially now that he had the label of being her boyfriend.

"I don't see Walburga here," she said curiously, and Sirius struggled to hold back his grimace.

"You probably just missed her; she was only taking Regulus home. I'm staying with the Potters."

"Wonderful family," she said, smiling fondly at James. "And who are these two young gentlemen, Cassie? I don't think I've had the pleasure yet."

"Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew," Cassie said, pointing individually to the boys, and they smiled respectfully to her and shook her hand.

"Lupin?" Eleanor said in surprise. "You wouldn't happen to be the son of Lyall Lupin by chance?"

"Yes, ma'am," Remus said, suddenly quite nervous, his eyes flicking to Cassie warily. She nodded back reassuringly; Eleanor had no idea that Remus had been bitten, as far as her knowledge went, but it seemed she was right, for her mother only said, "A good man. I met him once when I was visiting Cassie's father at the Ministry, but only briefly; he had been working on the case of Fenrir Greyback, if I recall. Nasty business – but of course, you're too young to remember any of it."

Remus had gone pale at the mention of Fenrir Greyback, but Eleanor didn't seem to notice, instead moving on and addressing Peter, who hadn't been able to stop staring at the beautiful woman since her arrival. Leaving Peter to fend for himself, however, Cassie sidled closer to Remus, touching his elbow gently.

"I'm sorry about her," she whispered. "She doesn't know, otherwise she wouldn't have said anything."

"It's fine, Cass," he said, giving her a reassuring smile and squeezing her hand. "Seriously, don't worry about it."

"Well, Cassie, we should be on our way," Eleanor said, interrupting the two. "Liddy has dinner ready, and you know she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Cassie nodded, giving Remus a swift hug and saying, "See you soon." She hugged the girls goodbye and "pounded fists" with Peter at the boy's insistence, whatever that was supposed to mean. James half-tackled, half-embraced her, and somehow managed to ruffle her hair at the same time, which led her to punch his arm and for her mother to scold her. Finally, she turned to Sirius, hesitating on what she should do with so many eyes watching, especially Eleanor's hawk-like ones.

"Bye," she said stupidly, holding out her arms, and he stepped into them easily. She relaxed immediately into him, and she felt his chest heave in a tight breath.

"Be careful, Cassie," he said softly, and she drew back slightly, winking.

"Always am."

He smirked at her, before ducking in and kissing her forehead, so quickly she barely caught it. She made her way back to Eleanor, grimacing at her wide eyes and knowing she would be bombarded with questions as soon as they got home.

Eleanor Apparated them outside the manor's gates, miraculously managing not to splinch either of them; Eleanor had only just passed her test when she had been a student at Hogwarts, which Cassie had learned the hard way when she was nine and she had splinched her pinky finger during Eleanor's Side-Along Apparition.

The gates swung open with a flick of Eleanor's wand, and they passed through, the words of their house bearing down on them: _Forest fortuna adiuvat._ Eleanor had Charmed Cassie's luggage to float along beside them as they made their way up the drive towards the foreboding house waiting at the top of the hill, and she wasted no time in wringing the information she wanted out of her daughter.

"So," she said primly, "Sirius Black?"

 _"Mum,"_ Cassie whined. "You're so embarrassing, stop."

"How am I being embarrassing?" she said. "I'm simply curious as to what sort of relationships might be developing between my daughter and a certain boy."

Cassie sighed, knowing that arguing was futile; Eleanor was a journalist and a Ravenclaw through and through, and she would find a way to get the answers she sought come Hell or high water.

"Sirius and I may or may not be dating," she mumbled, and Eleanor clapped her hands excitedly.

"Oh, Cassie, darling, that's _marvelous!"_ she said, and Cassie was sure that if her mother hadn't been trained so well to keep her composure, she would've been jumping up and down and squealing like a schoolgirl again. "Your first boyfriend! And _such_ a handsome one at that."

"Too far, Mum," Cassie said, making a face. "But, yeah, I guess he is. Officially, anyway." She suddenly looked to her mother warningly. "And _don't_ start planning a wedding or something, either. We weren't even official until today."

Eleanor covered her smile with her hand, her eyes still twinkling in a mischievous way she did not like at all, but she had hope that her mother wouldn't overreact – much.

They approached the front doors of the manor just as their house-elf, Liddy, swung one of them open, bowing low upon seeing the two women.

"Mistresses Alderfair," she squeaked. "Welcome home. Liddy has a lovely meal waiting in the dining room."

"Thank you, Liddy," Cassie said kindly, her mouth beginning to water as the house-elf took her coat and her mother's cloak. She led the way into the dining room, noticing how only two places had been set at the absurdly long table. Her heart sank a little as the small hope that Will would be there died, and she took her customary seat with a frown.

"Where's Father?" she asked when Eleanor had sat across from her.

"The Ministry," she said, her mouth puckering a bit. "The Minister has drafted a new legislation that the Wizengamot have to read and approve by the end of next week. It's kept him dreadfully busy."

"Something about the war?" Cassie asked, regarding the urgency of the legislation, but Eleanor looked to her strangely.

"War?" she repeated. "What war?"

"Well, it's not an open one, not yet," Cassie said, slicing some of the roasted chicken breast onto her porcelain dinner plate. "But it's only a matter of time."

"There's not going to be a war, Cassie," Eleanor said, looking quite bemused. "This… _outburst_ of blood purity and anti-Muggle sentiment is nothing but a minor blight. These sorts of movements crop up all the time – have for centuries. It will pass in time, trust me."

Cassie was frowning. "But what if it doesn't? You've heard about what's going on out there, Mum. You know what sorts of things _he's_ made Will do."

Eleanor's mouth thinned at the mention of her son, and she took a gulp of the wine that Liddy had set out for her, choosing not to answer.

Cassie stabbed at her new potatoes with some aggression; after everything that had been going on in the last several months, after everything that Will and Voldemort had done, how could her mother still believe that there was nothing to worry about? She applauded Eleanor for not following her father's example when it came to blood supremacy, but sometimes she wondered if her mother's ignorance and denial were worse.

Dinner was a quiet affair after that, and Cassie retreated to her room shortly after, kicking off her shoes and flopping on her bed, staring up at the high ceilings and gossamer canopy above her.

 _Merlin, give me the strength to get through these next two weeks._

* * *

The holiday passed slowly for Cassie. Besides the occasional letter from her friends, she did not speak much to anyone, even her own mother. Eleanor was busier than ever preparing for the summer catalogue, and often left before dawn and returned well after sundown, retiring almost immediately after a short dinner with Cassie. She had yet to see her father; she had never once heard him come in at any time, and she wondered if he had taken to staying at the Ministry again. He had done it before in times of urgency, but this time felt different, and she wondered if some strain between her parents was cause for his absence. She never got the opportunity to ask, however, so she kept her speculations to herself.

She had taken to wandering in the gardens during her first week back home for lack of anything better to do. She enjoyed it for a time, as the weather was warmer than usual, and the gardens had always been so beautiful, but the novelty of it began to wear off with each passing day, until she was sure she would be tempted to burn the whole thing down were she to be stuck wandering aimlessly for another week.

The day was warmer than usual for the time of year, but Cassie rather liked it. The sun felt good on her face and bare arms, and the breeze blowing gently through the hedges, bringing the scents of honeysuckle and roses, seemed to breathe fresh life into her, melting away her worries and doubts.

Of course, a moment of peace could never last long for her.

She rounded one of the taller hedges and came to a halt when she saw her father standing with his back to her, his hands clasped behind him and his gaze fixed on the water fountain in the center of the hedges, which depicted a stone alder tree with water streaming from its boughs and leaves, making the tree look as if it were weeping.

Cassie stood, frozen, wondering if she could sneak off back the way she had come, but before she could even take a step, her father said, "I know you are there, Cassiopeia." He beckoned her forward without even turning to look at her. "Come. Talk with me."

Swallowing down her sudden nervousness, Cassie composed herself and went to stand beside her father, trying to appear as indifferent as she could. Lukas did not glance to her for a long moment, merely watching the water splash and trickle into the fountain's basin, the breeze barely stirring his brown and grey hair.

"Father," Cassie said respectfully, when he did not speak first. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I thought the Ministry has been keeping you busy?"

"Indeed," he said, his voice as flat and emotionless as ever, betraying nothing. "The Minister's new legislation was a piece of work, but the Wizengamot pushed it through and we took a vote on it early this morning. It will go into effect immediately, so I would keep an eye on the _Prophet_ if I were you."

She nodded, and he finally turned to her, his dark eyes sweeping over her critically. She couldn't help grimacing when he took in her bare, dirty feet, or the short, sleeveless dress she had chosen to wear that morning, but he said nothing of it, only gazing intently at her face.

"You look like your mother," he said, but his tone made it sound as if it were a bad thing. "Tell me, Cassiopeia, what do you plan on doing after Hogwarts?"

Cassie blinked, thrown by the sudden change in topic.

"Er, I don't know yet," she said. "I haven't given much thought about it, honestly."

His face had folded into the look of disapproval she was used to seeing from him, but it still felt like a slap to the face when she met his cold eyes.

"Even as a child William showed more ambition than you," he said disdainfully, and her face flushed out of shame and mortification. "And now he has taken the bold leap that many witches and wizards should have done long ago. He is leading the world as we know it into a glorious future."

"One where Muggles are slaves and anyone who is not a pure-blood is slaughtered?" she demanded, her anger flaring.

"Wizardkind have been rulers of Muggles before," he said, unfazed by her sudden hostility. "The world would be a better place because of it – just look at what the Muggles have done to each other! Thirty years past they killed off millions of their own kind. Their wars have ravaged countries, people. I have never seen more hatred in a species. Would it not be better for them to have those more powerful keep them in check?"

"It's wrong," Cassie said, shaking her head. "Just because someone doesn't have magic doesn't mean they're inferior."

"Magic is might," Lukas said, "and you would do well to remember that, Cassiopeia."

"Then you are much eviler than I thought," she said quietly, and the gardens seemed to hush. His cold eyes bored into her with such intensity that she wondered if he was trying to freeze her, but she met his gaze headlong. Too long had she been cowed by her father's disapproval; too long had she bent and bowed for him – but no longer.

"I tried for years to love you in a way that you could never love me," she continued. "But you are heartless, and cruel, and I will no longer fear you. You have lost me, Father – and you have lost yourself."

"You dare condescend to me?" he hissed. _"You?_ The worthless excuse for a witch that I was burdened for having as a daughter?"

"Hatred will not save you in the end, Father," she said, and her voice was now as cold as his. "And when your darkest moment comes – and it will come – then think on that and wonder how you came to be such a loathsome bastard."

And tith that, she turned on her heel and disappeared into the gardens, not even bothering to look back at the man she had once called her father.

* * *

Cassie woke suddenly during the night, her eyes snapping open to be greeted by pitch darkness. She thought it was the thunder that had awoken her, for a storm was raging outside her bedroom windows, but a creeping sense that she was not alone overtook her, and she reached for the wand on her bedside table.

She had just grasped the smooth wood in her palm before a hand shot out of the darkness and latched onto her wrist, another hand coming up to smother her mouth as she tried to scream.

"Cassie, it's me!" a familiar voice whispered, and her heart dropped when a flicker of lightning cut through the shadows around her, revealing Will's pale face above her.

"Will," she breathed as he removed his hand from her mouth, having seen the recognition in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you," he said, groping his way to sit beside her on the bed, and she drew her knees in so he would have room, sitting up against her headboard. She sensed him flick his wand, and immediately the fireplace against the far wall sprang to life with lapping flames of gold, bathing the large room in a sunny glow.

"How did you get away?" she demanded, still whispering; she assumed that Will sneaking into her bedroom at midnight was not something he wanted their parents to know, and it seemed she was right, for he answered just as quietly.

"Used my old broom," he said, and there was a trace of his usual self-confidence on his haggard face. "He has spies infiltrating the Ministry now; all forms of magical transportation are being watched, but they haven't given a thought to broomsticks yet."

"But why come here?" she asked. "Will, you should be on another continent by now! Somewhere they'll never find you!"

"I'm not running away, Cassie," he said. His eyes looked hollow in the soft light, the space beneath them bruised and purpled from exhaustion. His once immaculate hair was now disheveled and wet from the storm, his clothes sopping, and his normally clean face was dirty and shadowed with stubble. "I'm in too deep now. I have to stay."

"He's torturing you, Will," she said, tears threatening to overtake her. "Please, you have to get out, before—"

"Before he kills me?" Her brother chuckled darkly. "He won't kill me. Not until he finds what he's looking for. And in order to do that, he needs me to find it for him."

"What about Carlisle?" she said, her mouth twisting at the mention of the foul witch. "She's looking for it, too."

"She won't find it." He shook his head. "She doesn't have the means to. But I can."

"How?"

"With the locket," he said, and her stomach plummeted in panic. "I enchanted it with the message, Cassie – not for you to find the object, but for me to remember the clues I had so far. I only gave it to you out of safekeeping."

Cassie's jaw dropped open.

"But – you – I—" she spluttered, her hand going to the locket around her neck protectively. "What about all the clues _you_ gave _me?_ The book about Miranda, the locket?"

He only shook his head. "You were the only person I could trust. I knew you would keep the locket and the book secret until I found a way to come back and use them. I just needed to bide my time until I gained enough of his trust so he would let me do as I please, but that obviously didn't work." His face darkened. "But now's my only chance, Cassie. I can slip away with the locket and the book, find out what the object is and where to find it, and then destroy it before he can get his hands on it."

"What does he want with it?" she asked, feeling sweat beginning to pool under her arms and on the back of her neck from the sudden anxiety and adrenaline pulsing through her.

"I don't know," he said, scowling. "He's obsessed with the Founders – he told me one night, when he still trusted me. He said he liked to find artifacts that had once belonged to them, but he only needed one more Founder to add to his collection."

"Godric Gryffindor," she said, and he nodded. "But why? Is he really going through all this trouble just for the sake of some treasure hunt?"

"No," he said. "Everything the Dark Lord does is carefully calculated and executed. He's not finding heirlooms and baubles because it's a hobby of his. He wants them because they have magic – very strong magic. For what, I don't know, but I intend to find out."

"Well, you can't very well do that if you're dead," she hissed. "Stop worrying about what he wants, Will. You need to protect yourself from him."

"I don't care if he kills me," he said, and his eyes suddenly blazed like the fire in the hearth. "I've seen what he does, who he is. He's a monster, and he needs to be stopped."

He suddenly lurched to his feet, holding out his hand expectantly. "I need the locket, Cassie."

She shrank back from him, clutching the pendant in her hand so hard she could feel the gears on the inside whirring at a rapid pace, matching the anxious acceleration of her heart.

"I can't do that, Will," she said. "I _won't._ He'll kill you if he finds out."

He smiled humorlessly at her, his eyes dark. "I'm already dead, sister. But I have a chance to stop his little game, and I'm going to use it."

The two siblings stared at each other, each unwilling to back down from their claim. Though Will didn't know it, Cassie already had her answers, and the treasure map was practically drawn out for her. She was _so close_ to getting the gauntlet, to ending everything, to saving Will. She couldn't let him have the locket. She couldn't let him die trying to find what she had already found.

"Don't make this difficult, Cassie," he said, a touch of his old exasperation tainting his features at her stubbornness. "Give me the locket."

"No," she said, her mind beginning to whirl with the possibilities of what she would do if he tried to take it from her forcefully. "I'm sorry, Will, but I can't let you do this."

"I will rip it from your neck if I have to, sister," he said, and his voice had gone eerily calm – deadly. A shadow of the new Will was passing over him – the cold, unforgiving shadow she had seen in him before, when he was still Voldemort's loyal servant, and a horrible thought struck her – this was not her brother anymore. This was the shell of a man who imagined himself with nothing left to lose, who was willing to walk into Death's open arms, and she was not going to let that happen. Losing him once was unbearable – but losing him twice would destroy her.

When he saw that she was still unwilling to comply with his demands, he growled in frustration, raising his wand, and she knew she had only seconds to act.

She threw herself forward, her fingers scrabbling for her wand, the locket burning red-hot against her skin, and she had barely clutched her wand before the spell was cast:

 _"Obliviate."_

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing from all of you!**

 **This chapter was weirdly fun to write. I love the dynamic of Cassie's family, and I really wanted to delve further into that this chapter, even if it was just snapshots of a much larger picture. Plus I enjoy writing cliffhangers ;) And I apologize for the lack of Cassie/Sirius scenes, so I hope this one made up for that a bit, even if there's not much action yet between them.**

 **Next Chapter: _The Forbidden Forest_**

 **xx**


	35. The Forbidden Forest

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! This chapter is a whopper, but with the end of the first book drawing nearer, the action is really going to be picking up from here on out.**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows - literally, I can't thank you enough for getting this story past 800 followers! And many thanks to my reviewers from last time, as well!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Forbidden Forest

Cassie blinked, her wand slipping from numbed fingers and clattering to the floor. Brother and sister stared at each other for one long moment, dark eyes identical in the gloom, though now one pair echoed back listlessly while the other filled with tears.

As if moving not of her own volition, Cassie stood from the bed and retrieved her wand, suddenly feeling very cold despite the blazing fire in the hearth. Will watched her blankly as she pointed her wand at him.

She realized that she was shaking as violently as the leaves on the tree outside her window as the storm raged on, and she willed her muscles to stay still. Her heart thundered, adrenaline and horror at what she had done coursing through her veins, and an eternity seemed to pass before Will shifted, shaking his head and frowning.

"Cassie—" he started, but she flicked her wand once more, putting meaning behind her spell as she said, _"Obliviate."_

Will's face returned to its previous slack expression, his eyes going out of focus, and Cassie shuddered.

 _Merlin, forgive me for what I have to do._

There was no other way, she told herself. In order to keep Will safe from Voldemort, she had to make him forget, had to send him away. Once Voldemort knew that Gryffindor's object had been found, once he sought the gauntlet for himself, he would kill her brother and pry it from his cold, dead hands for being a traitor, a defector. But she still had a chance. Voldemort told her himself that he didn't want to kill her yet, that her powerful family name and pure blood made her valuable, and she would use that to her full advantage – realizing with a distant humor that Alderfair – the name she had once used to curse – had become her shield against the Dark Lord.

She gripped her wand tighter and looked into her brother's eyes, seeing only flames reflected back at her.

"You were never here." The smallest tremor laced her voice, but she forced it back, focusing, intent on her spellwork. "The locket and the book are not important – just gifts you gave me, passed down through the generations of our family. You—"

She stopped, heaving a shuddering breath and blinking back tears. Will was still staring at her, almost expectantly, as if awaiting her orders. _You have to do this._ If Will wouldn't save himself, then she would have to do it for him.

"You are not William Rigel Alderfair," she continued, her voice growing stronger. "When you leave here, you will pick a name, and a country, and you will go there. Tell no one where you are going, or what your real name is. Start over – but stay hidden."

He bobbed his head in acknowledgement, and she knew she had to wrap up her spell quickly; her arm was beginning to tremble violently under the pressure of such complex magic that she had never used before, and she had to make sure it held.

"You have a sister who loves you," she said, her voice breaking. "More than anything. Never forget that."

He nodded again, and she lowered her wand, ending the spell. His face still maintained its slackened expression and his eyes were still dark and empty, like yawning pits of shadows. She moved over to him cautiously, but he only stood still, watching her blankly, and her heart broke at the realization that her brother could not remember who she was to him anymore.

She touched his cold cheek with her clammy palm, but he didn't even flinch. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed his forehead gently before pressing her own to it, closing her eyes and feeling several tears slip out, fast and hot.

"I love you," she whispered, fearing her voice would give out entirely if she spoke any louder. "I'm so sorry."

She drew away, and he stared at her in confusion before shaking his head, muttering, "I'm not supposed to be here."

And before she could reach for him to say goodbye, he turned on his heel and strode out of her room, closing the door behind him with finality.

Cassie collapsed on her bed, flinging her wand across the room, dangerously close to the fire. She could feel a scream building in her chest, and she bit into her pillow as sobs wracked her body.

 _What have I done?_

Will was safe now, for a time. She had to believe that, or else what she just did was for nothing. She had no doubt that Voldemort and the Death Eaters would look for him, but if he followed her instructions and disappeared, then she had bought him – and herself – some time. All she had to do now was get the gauntlet and give it to Dumbledore to destroy it before Voldemort or Carlisle, and perhaps she could get him to negotiate Will's safety at the same time. She had a plan. She knew what she was doing.

Then why did she feel like she had just ruined everything?

She stared into the fire, allowing the tears to dry on her face, but the flames offered no answers, and the shadows were just as quiet.

* * *

The clock read 10:50, and Cassie was late.

Sirius was surprised his head hadn't popped off yet as he constantly swiveled it in every direction, his eyes sweeping Platform 9 ¾ for a familiar head of sleek dark hair or intense brown eyes. She had told them she would meet them on the platform at ten-thirty, but now she was nowhere to be found.

"Relax, Padfoot," said James from where he sat on the edge of his trunk, eating a box of Bertie Bott's with Peter and Remus. His face was red, and he was sweating slightly, and Sirius guessed he must've gotten the ghost pepper bean again. "She'll be here. Stop fretting – you look like my mum."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Prongs. Your mum _is_ quite fit—"

"Oi! Take that back, you disgusting little—"

"Cassie!"

Remus was waving to someone over Sirius's shoulder, and he spun around so quickly he almost knocked a firsty to the ground, his gaze picking out Cassie easily amongst the dwindling crowd. She carried her knapsack over her shoulder as her eyes roved warily around the platform, but the severe look on her face lessened when she spotted him and made her way over.

"About time," James said, standing up and shoving the box of beans into his pocket. "Let's get a move on, princess, or else all the good compartments will be taken."

Sirius studied his girlfriend as she joined their group (still getting an annoying little thrill whenever he realized that she was _actually, finally_ his girlfriend), immediately aware that something was off. Her shoulders were tense, and her eyes looked hollow and bruised, as if she hadn't slept in days. Even her smile seemed forced.

James and Peter had begun boarding their luggage into a compartment, but Sirius and Remus stayed behind with her, the other Marauder apparently having noticed Cassie's mood as well, and he exchanged a tight glance with Sirius.

"Out with it, Cassie," Sirius said, not believing her casual indifference at all when she looked to him questioningly. "You look awful."

"Nice to see you, too, my charming boyfriend," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Sirius is right, Cass," Remus said, watching her carefully. "Something's wrong."

She sighed, suddenly looking exhausted. "I'll tell you all on the train, okay?"

Remus hesitated, but eventually nodded, giving her one last glance before going to join the others. Cassie made to follow him, but Sirius held her back.

"What's wrong?" he said lowly, casting a look around them to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "Did V-Voldemort show up at your house again?"

He scowled, irritated that he had stuttered; but he had gone so long without calling Voldemort by his real name that there was still a trace of fear inside him at the mere utterance of it. Then he was angry that he was afraid – it was a bloody name, after all. He was done being cowed into submission like the rest of the world. If he truly wanted to fight the Dark, then he had to learn to stop being afraid.

"No, no, nothing like that," she said distractedly, beginning to fidget. "I told you I'd tell you all on the train. Now let's go."

She brushed past him, but he held her back once more, feeling his impatience growing. "I'm not letting you go until you tell me you're all right."

"Well, I'm not bloody all right, Sirius!" she burst out, wrenching her arm from his grasp. She was breathing heavily now, tears glistening in her eyes, and he stared at her, stunned. Realizing that several straggling parents had turned in their direction, she lowered her voice, but he could still hear the strain in it.

"I did something awful," she confessed tearfully, her voice nearly a whisper. "I did it, and now I don't know if I can forgive myself."

She began to cry, and his first instinct was to run away screaming, calling for Remus to deal with the situation instead, but he forced himself to stay there. He'd never been able to handle emotions of any sort, but this was Cassie. She was his girlfriend, but more importantly, his _friend,_ and he couldn't let his friends down.

"Come here," he said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She all but collapsed into his chest, gripping his shoulders tightly as if to anchor herself, and he could feel the small tremors going through her body as she clutched to him, sobbing into his shirt.

"You're okay, love," he murmured into her hair, stroking some of it back with his fingers while he moved his other hand in soothing circles on her back, just as he had done with Regulus when they were younger before their mother had found out and locked them in their rooms for two days with no food.

 _"The Blacks do not cry!"_ he could remember her screeching through their doors. _"Emotions are weaknesses – they make you vulnerable. Do you know what happens to vulnerable people? They get taken advantage of, they lose their influence – their power! You might as well paint a target on our backs if you both do not learn to discipline yourselves and SHUT – THEM – OFF!"_

"I made him forget," Cassie sobbed, bringing Sirius back to the present. "I made him forget everything – I made him forget _me."_

Sirius froze at this, drawing back slightly to look at Cassie's white, tear-streaked face.

"Cassie," he said slowly, "what exactly did you do?"

She looked heartbroken, but before she could say anything, the train sounded the warning for them to get on or get left behind. He grabbed her hand, ushering her towards the scarlet steam engine, only to look up when he felt someone watching him. A pair of icy blue eyes stared at him from one of the compartment windows, but as he passed with Cassie in tow, the eyes blinked and retreated, the shades snapping shut. Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling, he herded Cassie into the Marauders' compartment just as the train began to move, heading back to Hogwarts.

Peter was gagging when they entered the compartment, his round face purple, and Sirius looked to James for an explanation. The bespectacled boy grinned mischievously, rattling the box of Bertie Bott's. "Vomit flavored."

"Budge over, you great lump," Sirius said, nudging Peter with his foot, and the smaller boy retched again. "Oi! Get anything on these shoes and you'll be paying for them the rest of your life!"

Remus handed Peter the brown paper bag he had brought his lunch in, casting Sirius a reproachful look. "Here you go, Pete, use this."

The blond boy took the bag, now gulping for air as Remus turned to Cassie in concern. "Are you all right, Cass?"

"Even Peter is marginally better than how I feel at the moment," she said, causing James to snort before he paused, studying her more closely.

"Wait," he said, "what's going on?"

"Here," said Sirius, guiding her into the seat next to him while he took the space beside Peter, who had stopped heaving enough to listen to their conversation.

"Now," he continued, "whatever you think you've done, Cassie, I'm sure it's not as bad as it seems—"

"I Obliviated Will," she said bluntly, and the compartment went still.

Sirius sucked on his teeth. "Never mind. That's pretty bad."

"Good Godric, Cassie," James said, his glasses nearly slipping off his nose, forgotten, as he gaped at her.

Remus was staring at her in alarm, green eyes blown wide, though Sirius could see his brain working, trying to process everything. Peter just groaned in the corner. They ignored him.

"How did you even _do_ that?" said James in awe. "We only studied the theory in Defense—"

"Sometimes theory is all you need," she said defensively, crossing her arms. "But I was desperate, okay? I didn't know what else I could do—"

"Wait, back up," Sirius interjected. "How did this even happen to begin with?"

"Will came home a couple nights ago," she said, her expression darkening. "He cornered me in my room, saying that I had to give him the locket." She shook her head quickly. "He wanted to be the one to find the gauntlet. He told me that he only gave me the locket and the book for safekeeping, so he could retrieve them later, but he _lied._ He was trying to protect me, but I – I—" She buried her face in her hands with a muffled sob. "I had to protect _him!_ Voldemort wants to kill him! I had to send him away, I _had_ to make him forget!"

The compartment was deathly silent besides her small sobs and the chugging of the steam engine as it gained speed, leaving London behind. Sirius put an arm over her shoulders, but she didn't acknowledge him, continuing to cry into her hands.

Finally, James broke the silence.

"Hold on," he said, lifting his pointer finger up in a _wait a minute_ position. "No offense, princess, but shouldn't you have been caught by the Ministry at this point? I mean, you did magic outside of Hogwarts. Doesn't the Statute of Secrecy say that underage magic is a big no-no?"

"Technically, yes," said Remus when Cassie didn't respond. "But there are loopholes to every rule."

James raised his eyebrows. "Care to elaborate?"

"The Statute of Secrecy was created so Muggles wouldn't find out about magic and wizards," he said, and Sirius imagined that he was reciting this explanation from memory of a textbook he should have read long ago. "That's why we can't use magic in front of Muggles, and why underage wizards and witches can't do it outside of special areas, like school; it's too risky."

"But Cassie's underage," pointed out Peter, who had seemed to rejoin the world of the living after his bout of sickness. "How do they even know if you use magic outside of school and you're underage?"

"Because of the Trace," Remus said. "Every wizard and witch are born with it – it's how the Ministry keeps track of the magical population, and how Hogwarts knows which students to send letters to when they turn eleven. The Trace also keeps tabs on underage witches and wizards in case of illegal magic used outside of designated areas."

"But I did a load of magic when I was a kid," said James. "How come the Ministry never came knocking at my door?"

"Accidental magic when you're young doesn't count," he said, shaking his head. "Besides, you grew up in a magical household, James – there's leeway when it comes to that because the Ministry assumes that your parents will keep you in check. It's also hard to identify the Trace in magical households, since there's more than one person who has magic. The only sure way to know if someone underage cast a spell in a magical household is if the Ministry wanted to investigate and collected all the wands to determine which one cast the spell. Thus, Cassie's loophole." He nodded to the hunched over girl. "The Ministry can't necessarily investigate when she was at home, on private property, with no Muggles to witness her do magic, while she was staying in a magical residence. Unless there was evidence of foul play, there's nothing they can really do about it."

James clapped him on the back, grinning. "And _this,_ dear Moony, is why you're the evil genius when it comes to us breaking the rules."

"It's still not all right," said Cassie, finally lifting up her blotchy face and looking around at them with bloodshot eyes. "I Obliviated my own _brother._ I told him to forget everything and run away, find a new life and start over. He doesn't remember anything."

Her lower lip trembled, and Sirius squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.

"You did what you had to do, Cassie," he said gently. "And it's not as if the spell is irreversible. We'll find Will when all of this is done and restore his memory."

"He'll never forgive me," she said, clenching her hands into fists. "He'll hate me forever for what I did to him."

"Then we'll deal with it when the time comes," he said firmly. "You sent him away so we could find the gauntlet, so that's what we're going to do. We can fix this, Cassie. All of us. Together."

He glared at the others as if daring one of them to speak against him, but there was no need; they were all in it together at that point, and there was no turning back. Not when they were so close. Not when they all had each other.

Sirius turned back to her, his eyes blazing like a frost fire. "We're going to get that gauntlet. Tomorrow night." He thrust out his hand, though he never broke eye contact with Cassie, and she stared at him as if he were Prometheus, stealing fire from the gods and giving hope to humanity, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to kiss her, as nobody had ever seen him in that way before.

But he forced himself to look away from her shining face, instead locking gazes with each of the others. James was the first to slap his hand on top of Sirius's, grinning like a madman the whole time.

"Prongs, reporting for duty, Mr. Padfoot," he said.

Remus sighed, shaking his head, before placing his hand atop James's. "Moony, ready to aid in whatever mischief and danger we're bound to get into."

"Wormtail, too!" squeaked Peter, rushing to put his hand on top of the others'.

Sirius turned to face Cassie, lifting an eyebrow. "Well, princess? What are you waiting for?"

She smiled slightly, lifting her hand and hesitating only a little bit, before saying quietly, "Sparks."

Her hand crowned their own, and her smile widened as she looked around at them all. "Happy to lead a perilous mission with the best friends in the world by her side."

"Then it's settled." Sirius nodded to her. "Tomorrow we're gonna get that gauntlet."

Cassie grinned, the thrill of adventure lighting up her eyes again, and Sirius thought he had never seen someone so perfect.

"Carlisle and her Dark Bastard won't know what hit 'em."

* * *

In the midst of all their planning for the night ahead, school had been about the furthest thing from Cassie's mind, though her return to Hogwarts was heralded by lessons and homework, and – to her intense horror – the rumor mill.

Of course, she should have known that dating Sirius Black was bound to bring her more attention than ever; but where once she would have been afraid to show her face at all, she now took the stares and whispers in stride, having much more important and potentially life-saving things in mind than gossip.

"Oh, this is even better than when I dated Sirius," Marlene said gleefully as they made their way into the Great Hall for breakfast. Nearly every eye in the room seemed to be fixed on Cassie as she walked with Lily, Alice, and Marlene – even some of the staff had to avert their gazes as she glanced over them coolly.

"Just look at Zella Knightley's face!" she continued, giggling shrilly. "She looks like she's chewing on glass!"

Indeed, the snooty fourth-year that had attacked Cassie in the girls' bathroom last term was now staring at Cassie with an expression of one who appeared to be forcing a wriggling mouse down their throat, and Cassie couldn't bite back her smirk as she passed, feeling the girl's gaze follow her down the table as she sat.

"I can't believe you and Sirius are official," said Alice, diving for the marmalade with a wide grin on her face.

"It's about bloody time," Lily chimed in, sprinkling cinnamon in her porridge.

"Have you snogged yet?" Marlene asked, putting her chin in her hands and waggling her eyebrows at the dark-haired witch.

"No," Cassie said, shrugging when her friends gaped at her. "What? We just haven't really gotten to that point yet." She thought of the few almost-kisses that had happened between them and felt her stomach swoop, but she gulped down some milk so they wouldn't see her burning cheeks.

"Well, have you done anything?" asked Alice, lowering her voice and grinning at her suggestively.

Cassie blinked. "Like what?"

They all groaned.

"Cass, if anyone deserves some action in this school, it's you," Marlene said. "You two _really_ haven't done anything yet?"

"It's not like I don't want to," said Cassie hastily, disliking the fact that she had to defend her actions – or lack thereof – to her friends. "It's just…there's never a right moment. And I hate to sound so… _cliché,_ but I don't want to rush things with him. I want it all to be, I don't know – special or something."

She drank some more milk as the girls exchanged a thoughtful look, and she pulled at the collar of her robes slightly, feeling hot.

"You don't have to look so worried, Cassie," Lily said, laughing lightly. "We're not judging you for it."

"It's just astonishing that Sirius Black, of all people, would be patient enough to go along with it," added Alice.

Marlene nodded solemnly. "He must really fancy you if he's willing to wait for you."

Cassie shrugged, though she wondered if Marlene was right. She always thought Sirius was keeping a respectable distance between them just in case things didn't work out and their friendship could still be salvaged, but what if Marlene was speaking the truth, and he was respecting her personal boundaries because he genuinely wanted to wait until she was comfortable enough to open up fully to him?

Deciding that she didn't want to think about these things so early in the morning, she went back to drinking her milk, only to turn when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She nearly groaned aloud when she saw Mary MacDonald and Dorcas Meadowes standing over her, with their arms crossed identically and twin expressions of skepticism and predatory curiosity on their faces.

"What do you want?" Cassie said, discreetly wiping off the milk moustache above her lip with the sleeve of her robe as she eyed the two Ravenclaws warily. "I've stopped slagging around with Remus and James if you want to have a go at them – Peter's not bad, either."

MacDonald's lip curled in disgust while Meadowes snorted derisively, shaking her wild mane of curls.

"So, it is true?" she asked. She said it as if she couldn't be bothered, but Cassie could see the burning desire to know behind her eyes. "You're dating Sirius Black?"

"Yep," she said, popping the 'p'.

"That's so not true," MacDonald snapped. "As if Black would ever date someone like _her."_ She rolled her eyes, flipping back her long hair. "What'd you do to him, then, Alderfair? Slip some Amortentia into his tea?"

"Actually, I just wasn't a bitch," she said, shrugging, and she heard Marlene choke on a laugh behind her. "If you want dating tips, though, I suggest you read my mum's magazine. I heard they help out a lot."

She turned back around without waiting for a response, and only when the other girls burst out into fits of giggles did she know they were gone, and she grinned to herself.

"You should've seen their faces!" Alice gasped. "Oh, my Godric, that was hilarious!"

Marlene was close to falling off her bench, she was laughing so hard. Lily was clutching at a stitch in her side.

"Brilliant," the redhead said, beaming. "Those girls are _awful._ I'm glad they got a taste of their own medicine."

They continued laughing, Cassie joining in this time until an amused voice from behind them said, "Look, Prongs! They saw your ugly mug walk in and now you've reduced them to tears!"

"Shove off, Pads," griped James, shoving Sirius out of the way so he could take the spot next to Cassie. "Just for that, I'm stealing your girlfriend for the day."

"Fat chance," Sirius retorted, grabbing the back of James's robes and yanking him off the bench and onto the floor. Lily snorted in amusement, and Sirius looked to her, surprised, before winking at her. For once, she didn't roll her eyes at him, and grinned pleasantly back instead. Cassie nearly keeled over in shock.

Sirius made room for Remus and Peter, slinging an arm around Cassie's waist while James was relegated to the furthest seat on the bench, huffing and dusting off his robes.

"Oh, no, Sirius, you've wounded his ego!" Cassie said in mock worry. "Remus, fetch Pomfrey, quick, before he dies of no attention!"

James glared at her. "Your day is coming, Alderfair."

"Sorry, mate, what was that?" She cupped her hand around her ear. "I can't hear you from all the way down there."

He shot her an obscene hand gesture, unfortunately when Professor McGonagall happened to look over at them.

"Potter!" she barked from the staff table. "Five points from Gryffindor!"

"Way to go, Prongs," Peter snickered, though shouted, "Ow!" when James kicked him under the table.

"So," Sirius said quietly to her when everyone's attention shifted to the now-grappling boys, "ready for tonight?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with fake optimism, and he snorted, taking her cup and drinking. She snatched it back with a scowl.

"We've gone over the plan a dozen times," he pointed out. "We have nothing to worry about."

"Except for the wee fact that none of our plans ever work out and usually go to shit immediately."

"Valid point."

They chuckled at that before growing serious once more.

"Seriously, Sirius," she said, biting her lower lip. "This isn't some scavenger hunt or breaking into a teacher's office. We're going into the Forbidden Forest. There's a million ways to die in there, and even more creatures that could rip our faces off."

"You really know how to inspire confidence in people, don't you?"

She rolled her eyes. "It isn't funny, Sirius. This is real-life, dangerous stuff. I know I'm willing to risk it, but dragging you along with me—"

"You aren't dragging us anywhere, princess, trust me." He entwined his fingers with hers, and her heart seemed to speed up and slow down at the same time. "We're in this because we're your friends. And if there's any way we can screw with Voldemort's plans while we're at it, then that's just an added bonus."

She had the intense urge to snog him right then and there, with the whole school watching, but the small part of her that was still the Invisible Girl kept her reined in. It didn't stop her from flicking her eyes down to his lips, however, and she grinned when she looked back up and saw him watching her almost hungrily.

"Down, boy," she teased, and he shot her a wicked grin, pulling her closer.

"What if I don't want to?" he asked, his voice low, and a surge of heat swept through her that left her tingling.

"Too bad," she said, raising her eyebrows. "You said you'd wait, and that's what I intend on doing."

"You drive me mad." But he didn't say it in a bad way.

She winked. "I know."

But just for the crowd of watching eyes all around them, she kissed his lips lightly.

"Your move, Black," she said to his stunned face, before grabbing her bookbag and slinging it over her shoulder, making her way out of the Great Hall with every head turning to watch her.

It felt good to be back.

* * *

The Defense classroom was as abysmally bare as ever as Cassie took her seat between Remus and Avery, careful not to let her eyes roam to where the Slytherin boy was sitting on her right.

She hadn't spoken to him since the confrontation after Valentine's, which she felt only minimally guilty about. She had never been able to fully trust the Slytherin and severing her ties with him would be better for everyone in the long run, including him. If Carlisle or Voldemort ever found out that he had helped her… Well, she may not like him, but he was still an innocent – for now.

Professor Carlisle sat behind her desk at the front of the classroom, her expression as cold as ever, but Cassie could see the signs of strain the witch was trying so hard to conceal. Her grey eyes were broken up like a thawing river in spring; still frozen, but through the cracks there was a sort of rabid panic, a frenzied stress no doubt brought on upon Voldemort's increasing pressure on her to find Gryffindor's object. The bruises under her eyes were another testament to her predicament, and her once immaculate white-gold hair was now dull and brittle, with several wisps escaping from her severe bun. Cassie would have felt sorry for her, if she hadn't hated her so much for her part in Will's torture.

"Today will be a hands-on lesson," she announced once everyone had found their seats. "I will allow you to pick one partner of your choice, and you shall spend the rest of the class period practicing your dueling skills." An excited murmur rippled through the class, but she held up a pale hand for silence. "Of course, you will have boundaries. There will be no maiming, no intent to harm another student, and no illegal hexes, jinxes, or curses. If I catch you doing any one of these things, then you will have earned a long, meaningful talk with the Headmaster, your Head of House, and myself." Her red lips curled in a saccharine smile. "Find your partner and begin."

Cassie turned to Remus with a wicked grin on her face. "Be my partner?"

He looked surprised. "Are you sure you don't want Sirius?"

She waved a hand airily. "I spend far too much time stomping his pride into the dirt as is, he and James both. It's your turn, Remus."

He sighed. "I was afraid you would say something like that." But he stood up and gestured for her to follow him, anyway. "C'mon, princess, let's do it your way."

Laughing, she got up and joined him in the back of the room where the rest of the Marauders stood. Peter looked to her, betrayed, as she approached.

"You stole Moony from me?" he said accusingly, and she shrugged.

"I never work with Remus," she pointed out. "He's usually hogged away by you."

Peter was pouting. "That's because he's the only one who wants to work with me."

"What are we, chopped flobberworm?" said Sirius, indicating himself and James.

"You two are _always_ partners," he whined. "Who am I supposed to work with now?"

"Just be a group of three with us," James said, ruffling his hair. "Carlisle's not even paying attention."

Though Peter still looked put out over not having been first choice, he perked back up as he went to work with James and Sirius, leaving Cassie and Remus to their own space to duel.

They raised their wands to their faces and bowed before assuming their stances, though Remus started chuckling almost immediately.

"What?" she said, not seeing what he found so funny.

"You look almost excited to beat me to a pulp," he said, shaking his head and grinning.

"Do I detect a hint of fear in your tone, Remus Lupin?" she asked sweetly, brandishing her wand dramatically.

At her taunt, his grin slipped into something more like a smirk, and he eyed her arrogantly. "You wish, Alderfair."

And without warning, he launched his first spell at her.

She doubled over, giggling shrilly as the spell tickled her abdomen with invisible fingers. She could hardly breathe, she was laughing so hard, but seeing Remus's smug face, she managed to lift her wand and choke out, _"Flipendo."_

The spell caught him off-guard, and he flipped over backwards into the pile of cushions that had been set up, his own spell severing its hold on her. The whole classroom was alive with shouts of spells, bangs and bursts of light from wands, and laughing and dueling students as Cassie pushed herself back to her feet, still panting.

Carlisle had taken to walking along the sparring pairs as Cassie moved to help Remus to his feet, kicking aside cushions as she went.

"You all right?" she asked, offering him a hand as he struggled to disentangle himself from the numerous cushions.

"Yeah, good," he said, accepting her hand up and grinning. "How's your stomach?"

"I reckon I have a six-pack now from laughing so hard, so I thank you for whipping me into shape," she replied sarcastically.

They laughed, but before they could resume, they heard Carlisle say, "Mr. Pettigrew, who are you working with?"

Peter was shrinking away from the icy witch, his watery eyes darting between James and Sirius, who had stopped dueling to watch nervously. "Er…"

Carlisle sighed, before beckoning with her hand. "Mr. Avery, see to it that Mr. Pettigrew has a partner that will _actually_ challenge him."

Cassie and Remus exchanged a hard glance as Avery strolled over, his features bored and haughty. He caught Cassie's eye as Peter reluctantly joined him, and she saw his jaw clench angrily before he turned away, looking to Peter with distaste.

"You think he'll be all right?" asked Remus lowly, watching Peter in concern.

"Avery won't try anything sinister," she said with confidence, before frowning. "Still, he'll probably put Pete through the wringer a bit…"

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Peter fell back into the cushions after a loud _BANG_ from Avery's wand. He sat up, dazed, touching a finger to his nose when it started gushing blood.

"The hell are you playing at, Avery?" Sirius barked, as the whole class fell silent, turning to watch the exchange. Sharing a nervous look, Cassie hurried over to where Sirius was advancing on the Slytherin as Remus went to help James fish Peter out of the cushions. "'No intent to harm' was one of our rules."

"I don't see how Pettigrew's own inadequacy is my fault," said Avery coolly, though he watched Sirius near with glittering eyes.

"Sirius, don't," Cassie whispered, grabbing his arm. "He's only trying to get a rise out of you."

"Yes, listen to your precious girlfriend, Black," said Avery nastily, sneering at him and Cassie. "Congratulations, by the way; I know you thought you didn't stand a chance after you caught her snogging me—"

Sirius brandished his wand, shrugging Cassie off as he stalked closer to the Slytherin. The whole classroom was now thick with tension, and Cassie looked around wildly for Carlisle, but the professor had seemingly disappeared.

"James!" she hissed. "Do something!"

The bespectacled boy shrugged helplessly, but before he could say anything, Lily had stepped up, hands on her hips.

"Black, ignore him," she said authoritatively. "Don't make me take points."

"Stay out of this, Evans," he snapped. "The git's had it coming for a while now."

"Don't talk to her like that!" Severus Snape spat, pushing to the front of the crowd, though his sallow face became muddled with scarlet as every eye turned to him.

"Or what, Snivellus?" said James, and Cassie groaned – of course he would get involved when Snape did. "You'll rub your greasy head all over him?"

The Gryffindors laughed at this, while the Slytherins looked murderous. Cassie, sensing danger, tried one last time.

"Sirius, please. He's not worth it."

Avery's face contorted at this, as if what she'd said pained him, but he kept his eyes on Sirius, who had ignored Cassie's plea.

"What's it gonna be, Black?" he taunted. "Hex me, so you can prove to the school that you're still their king? Or back down like a coward for your blood traitor whore—"

Casting aside his wand, Sirius launched himself at Avery, and the two boys went down in a flurry of pummeling fists and flailing limbs. Chaos erupted after that. Snape sent a bright red jinx for James that he barely dodged, and soon the two were embroiled in a rapid-fire duel. Gryffindors and Slytherins began battling against one another, each defending their own, and Cassie finally had enough sense to duck out of the way when a stray spell shot by her ear. She found Lily, Alice, and Marlene standing off to the side, watching in shock as the classroom became a free-for-all.

"Where the hell is Carlisle?" Cassie demanded as she ran over to them.

"She went into her office five minutes ago," Alice said darkly. "We haven't seen her since."

"We have to stop this before someone gets hurt," said Marlene, watching the melee with worriedly.

"How?" Lily snapped. "They won't listen to a prefect."

"We can't just stand here and do nothing!" Alice argued.

"She's right," said Cassie, the inklings of an idea already forming in her head. She sighed. "Hopefully this works."

She raised her wand, hoping she had enough power to cast the protection spell, before shouting, _"Protego Maxima!"_

Instantly, a large shield sprung up between the two groups of students, stranding the Slytherins on one side while the Gryffindors were trapped on the other. Everyone turned to Cassie, some accusing, some relieved, while the Slytherins looked like they wanted blood.

"Enough," she ordered. "Fighting each other is useless."

Kanin Mulciber spat at her. "Fuck off, Alderfair. No one cares what a blood traitor has to say."

A spell whizzed over her shoulder and slammed into his gut, making him hunch over, gasping for air. Cassie turned in bewilderment to see Lily staring at the Slytherin in disgust.

"And no one cares what a slug like you has to say, Mulciber," she retorted.

"I think I'm in love," Cassie heard James whisper.

Summoning the most refined Alderfair mask she had, Cassie put it on, sweeping her gaze over the room coldly.

"The war is out there," she said, pointing to the window, "not in here. So stop acting like a bunch of children pretending to understand what war is, because none of you do."

When no one said anything, she dropped the shield, raking her eyes over them once more before turning on her heel and exiting the classroom, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

* * *

"I'm going to kill Avery."

Cassie and the Marauders found themselves in the kitchens after that afternoon's disastrous Defense lesson, waiting for dinner to be over and for night to fall so they could sneak out of the castle and make for the Forbidden Forest.

"You, Sirius Black," said Cassie coldly, "are not going to do anything, to anyone."

She slapped an ice pack on his swollen eye with more force than she meant, and he winced at the sudden cold.

"How can you defend that git, Cass?" James said angrily. He had been pacing for the last twenty minutes, causing the house-elves to steer clear of his wild feet with trepidation. "He's a bastard!"

"I'm not defending him," she snapped. "But what is brawling like a bunch of alpha-male gorillas going to accomplish?"

"Cassie's right," piped up Remus. He had a tear in his robes from where a stray jinx had caught him, but otherwise he had managed to stay out of the fight.

"You always think she's right," James scoffed, and Remus flushed pink.

"Fighting doesn't solve anything," Cassie pointed out. "Besides, we have much more important things to worry about than Avery and the Slytherins. After tonight, they won't even matter."

"Yeah," Peter said nasally. His nose hadn't been broken by Avery, but he had stuck bits of napkin up his nostrils to stem the bleeding. "Once we give the gauntlet to Dumbledore, this will all be over."

"But it won't, will it?" said James. His hair was messier than usual, and his robes were rumpled, but Snape hadn't touched him with any of his spells. He stared at Cassie with a hard look in his eyes, and she flicked her gaze away guiltily. "This is just the beginning. Voldemort won't let this go, whether Dumbledore's involved or not. He'll want revenge, Cassie."

"Do you think I don't know that?" she shouted, whirling on him. "I'm not naïve, James! I know he wants to kill me. I _know._ But damn him if he thinks I'm afraid! I'm _sick_ of being afraid." She kicked out at the table Sirius and Remus were sitting at in frustration, hardly feeling the pain in her foot from where it connected with the wood.

"Go if you want," she said in a lower voice. "I won't stop you. But if I want to stop _him,_ then I have to do something about it. Or else nothing will change, and Will and I die anyway."

"Like hell you are," said Sirius angrily. "You are _not_ dying."

"Of course she's not," James growled. He turned back to her. "If you tell me to leave ever again, princess, I _will_ hex you into bloody oblivion."

"We're with you, Cassie, to whatever end," Remus said. "I think we established that a long time ago."

They all turned to Peter, who had been twiddling his thumbs anxiously. He shrugged, not meeting their eyes.

"You're my only friends," he said. "I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Everyone has a choice, Peter," said Cassie. "And today is the day to make yours: are you in or not?"

The small boy hesitated for a long moment before nodding once.

"Good," said Cassie. "We have two hours, boys. Get what you need. It's going to be a long night."

* * *

Cassie had just finished changing out of her robes and replacing them with a long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and trainers when the door to her dormitory opened, Lily, Alice, and Marlene making their way in after returning from dinner.

The three girls paused on the threshold, taking in their friend as she pulled a jumper over her head and stowed her wand up her sleeve.

"It's tonight, then?" Lily asked, shutting the door carefully behind her.

Cassie nodded. "We're leaving in ten minutes."

They exchanged a worried glance before turning back to her.

"What do we need to do?" said Alice, squaring her shoulders, and Cassie felt her heart swell at her friend's determination.

"Nothing, hopefully. If all goes as planned, we'll be in and out in no time, and we'll be able to get the gauntlet to Dumbledore."

"And if it doesn't?" Marlene said, biting her lip.

Cassie shrugged. "Then we do what we do best: improvise."

Alice suddenly rushed forward, crushing Cassie in a tight hug that knocked the breath from her lungs.

"Be careful, Cass," she said, her voice muffled from her face being pressed into the shoulder of the much taller girl. "Come back to us – preferably with all your limbs still intact."

Cassie snorted. "I'll try."

Marlene came forward as well, wrapping her arms around the other two and squeezing tightly. Cassie met Lily's eyes over their heads, and the red-haired witch wavered a bit before concluding their group hug.

"Don't let Potter convince you to do anything stupid," she said wearily. "And have your wand drawn at all times. And don't take any unnecessary risks—"

"I got it, Mum, thanks," said Cassie, rolling her eyes, but she reached over Alice and Marlene to clasp her hand. Lily smiled tremulously but squeezed her fingers in reassurance.

Cassie released her friends, checking to make sure she had everything before taking a deep breath.

"Don't wait up for me," she told them. "Remember: in and out. No worries."

"Good luck, Cass," Alice said, and she shot them a wink before exiting the dormitory, though the nerves gnawing at her insides probably made it look more like a wince.

She emerged into the common room to find the Marauders already waiting for her, and she approached them with a straight spine, not wanting them to notice how she was screaming internally in panic.

"Got everything?" she asked, keeping her voice low so the students sitting around them wouldn't hear.

"I've got the cloak," said James, patting his pocket. "And Remus has the map—"

"What?" Cassie said blankly. "What map?"

The Marauders stared at each other, gobsmacked.

"You mean no one told her?" said Sirius incredulously. "After all this time?"

"I thought one of you must've mentioned it to her," Peter said, looking around at them guiltily.

"I didn't say anything," added Remus. "James, I thought you of all people would've told her—"

Cassie broke in, exasperated. "Tell me what?"

James glanced to her nervously. "Er, don't take this the wrong way, Cass. We didn't mean to keep it a secret…"

She raised a brow. "Out with it, Potter."

He grimaced, gesturing to Remus. "Moony, if you would."

Remus pulled a folded piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to her. Cassie stared at it, wondering what was so special about a ruddy piece of paper.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" she asked skeptically.

Remus cleared his throat, holding out his hand for the parchment. "May I?"

She gave it back, watching dubiously as he tapped his wand to the parchment and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He passed back the parchment and she took it in bewilderment, only to gasp when thin ink lines began to spread from where his wand had touched, crisscrossing and weaving like a spider's web and fanning to every corner of the parchment. Words appeared on the parchment in familiar green ink, and Cassie read in astonishment:

 _Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs_

 _Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present_

 _THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Cassie laughed, amazed. "This is wonderful!" She drank in the map eagerly, her grin widening as she saw every corner of the castle, with numerous dots floating along the parchment, the names of people she knew hanging above each dot. She found Gryffindor Tower, her eyes widening when she saw five dots standing in a cluster: Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Cassiopeia Alderfair.

"How did you even do this?" she said in awe, looking up at the four boys in front of her.

"A lot of time, and a lot of trial and error," said Sirius, smirking proudly.

"We started exploring the castle our first year," James explained. "We came up with the idea of the map last summer, though, and we worked on it for weeks. Then, when we became Animagi, we started including the grounds, too."

"This is phenomenal spellwork," she said, shaking her head. "I'm…well, impressed."

"As you should be," said James smugly. "We are geniuses, after all."

"You're not mad, are you?" Peter asked her. "I mean, for keeping it secret and all…"

She pursed her lips, contemplating.

"No," she decided. "You intended to tell me. But," she said warningly, "I am mad that none of you got around to telling me until now." She fixed James with a stern glare. "And I assume that this was how you were able to follow me around all last term?"

The messy-haired boy cringed. "Yeah, sorry about that."

She looked back to the map, rolling her eyes. "Does this cover the Forbidden Forest?"

"Only the most basic edges," Remus said. "We haven't been that far in yet. Moony…he, uh, usually goes a little wild before we can explore further. All the creatures and stuff."

Sirius snorted. "Yes, having him eat a poor little bunny would put quite a damper on things."

"Brilliance aside," interjected James, "we should go now, while the night's still young."

Cassie nodded, handing the map back to Remus. "He's right. Let's get this over with."

Steeling herself, she led the way out of the portrait hole, and they crept down the corridor until the Fat Lady was out of sight before James pulled out the cloak.

"I dunno how all of us are supposed to fit under there," Peter said doubtfully, and Cassie silently agreed. "Anyone walking by will be able to see our feet."

"That's why we have the map, Pete," said Sirius, clapping him on the shoulder. "Besides, it's only a precaution."

"Everybody under," said James, and they complied, mumbling and grunting as feet were stepped on and elbows dug into sides. "There we go, nice and cozy."

They all groaned, saying in unison, "Shut up, James."

"Ungrateful children," he said, sniffing, before turning to Remus. "Are we clear?"

The sandy-haired boy nodded. "Filch is loitering in the west wing with Mrs. Norris, and Peeves is lurking in the dungeons. We're good to go."

"Off to the forest, then," he said cheerfully, before starting down the corridor without warning. "Keep up, children!"

"And he says he's not a mother hen," Cassie muttered under her breath, and Sirius snickered behind her.

The castle was eerily quiet as they shuffled through the corridors, and Cassie flinched every time a shadow on the wall moved, her anxiety playing tricks on her. She could feel Peter panting on the back of her neck, but she tried to ignore him, keeping her senses trained all around them. Sirius was close behind her, his warmth seeming to jump from his clothes to her skin, making her begin to sweat the longer they stayed under the cloak. She nearly sobbed in relief once they reached the great double doors and slipped out into the courtyard, the cool night air ruffling the cloak slightly and brushing refreshingly across their damp skin.

"All clear," Remus said, and they flung the cloak off, breathing deeply.

"I love you guys," Cassie said, "but I can't ever be that near to any of you again."

"Agreed," James said, removing his glasses and using his shirt to wipe off all the sweat on his face.

"C'mon," Sirius said. "Let's not waste time."

He led the way out onto the grounds, the others following close behind. Though the air was cooler now that they were free from the confines of the cloak, the night was sticky and humid, and Cassie could feel her hair beginning to plaster to her forehead and neck. The dark trees bordering the edge of the forest loomed up before them, seeming to grow with every step they took, as if wanting to look as intimidating as possible to warn them off. They kept going, however, and Cassie began to wonder if it was bravery or foolishness that drew them nearer to the black forest.

They came to a stop right outside the tree line, gazing into the foreboding depths that yawned before them. Cassie could hear Peter gulp fearfully.

"Do we really have to go in there?" he whimpered.

"Pete, we've been in here a dozen times," said James bracingly. "What's so different about now?"

"We don't have a werewolf with us?"

"Just change into your Animagus form," Cassie suggested. "We'll keep up."

Sirius looked to her appraisingly. "That's not a bad idea, actually. How about we all do it? That way we can either sniff out a path or see something coming."

James nodded. "Let's do it." He turned to Peter. "You ready?"

The blond boy nodded, mustering his courage before shifting right in front of Cassie's eyes. He shrank down and down, his clothes collapsing into the dirt, until finally a squeaking rat emerged from the collar of his jumper, sniffing and patting at the ground.

Sirius and James followed, a black dog the size of a small bear materializing on her right while a regal stag sprung up on her left. The stag looked at her as if to say _Majestic, right?_ She shook her head faintly.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," she said to Remus, and he grinned.

"You'll come around," he assured her.

She shook her head again before extracting her wand, looking to him. "On three?"

He took out his own wand, the tip illuminating with light as he nodded.

"One," said Cassie.

"Two," said Remus.

"Three," they said together, and with the three animals by their sides, they plunged into the trees.

* * *

The forest was darker than she had expected. The further in they went, the closer the trees grew together, their trunks almost touching and their branches entwined to block out the light of the moon and stars above. It was quieter than what she had anticipated, too, which only unnerved her more. The only thing keeping her from turning around and running back to the castle was Remus beside her, his arm brushing hers occasionally, and the three padding animals around them; James and Sirius on their flanks, while Peter forged ahead. Cassie could hear him rustling through the leaves, while the stag and the dog seemed to make no sound at all.

"How far do you think this well is?" Remus asked her. They kept their lit wands moving, roving back and forth across the floor and the trees.

"I don't know," she said. "It must be far, though, if Miranda thought it was safe enough to keep the gauntlet in."

He nodded, though the sudden snapping of a twig made them jump and turn towards the noise. It had only been Sirius, however, and he whined softly in apology. Cassie shook her head quickly, trying to figure out how she even knew how to interpret that.

"I still can't believe Sirius is a dog," she said, scoffing. "That has to be some sort of cosmic joke. Like, the Dog Star? And he can turn into a dog?"

"The whole world is a cosmic joke," Remus said sardonically. "Just look at me: My name is literally Wolfy McWolfman, and I'm a fucking werewolf."

Cassie snorted into her sleeve, trying to stifle her laughter. "This is why you're my favorite, Remus."

Sirius growled low in his throat, throwing her a reproachful look.

"Besides you, my lovely little hairball," she cooed at him, and she was sure that if he were in his human form he would have shoved her into a ditch and left her behind.

James snorted to her right, pawing the ground to get their attention.

"What is it, Prongs?" Remus whispered, but now that they had stopped walking, they heard it: rustling leaves, as if something were approaching. Cassie would have thought it was Peter in his rat form, except he was currently chattering at their feet, squeaking nervously.

"Wormtail, shut up!" Remus hissed. "Go see what it is."

Reluctantly, he slunk back into the undergrowth, and they waited tensely until he gave a sudden squeal of pain.

"Peter!" Cassie cried, throwing herself forward, wand aloft, with the others on her heels. Shoving aside a thorny bush, she found Peter wriggling in the dirt, a small bowtruckle standing over him and beating him with a twig.

" _Little Leaf?"_ Cassie said in astonishment, recognizing the little tree-man instantly.

The bowtruckle stopped pummeling Peter, turning at the sound of her voice and chittering in a familiar voice.

"Merlin's staff!" Cassie breathed, scooping up the bowtruckle in her free hand. "I don't believe it! Little Leaf, I thought you were gone forever!"

The little tree-man chattered some more, reaching out twiggy arms to caress her face, and she imagined it was his way of recognizing her as she laughed.

Remus was staring between her and Little Leaf. "You know this thing on a first-name basis?"

"I had him in Care of Magical Creatures last term," she explained. "I named him, but when I released him back into the wild he would come visit me, until he vanished entirely." She turned back to the bowtruckle. "Little Leaf, what happened? Where did you go?"

He pulled on her finger, using one of his arms to point deeper into the forest.

"Hagrid told me a while ago that there was some migration happening here," she said to Remus. "Little Leaf was part of it."

"A migration like what?" he said in confusion. "Why would they be going in deeper? Why not closer to the borders of the forest?"

"Because it's not something bad," Cassie said, realization dawning on her. "If it were something Dark, or some kind of predator, then the creatures would be running away. Something else is drawing them in, something—"

"Powerful," Remus finished, his eyes growing wide. "Something with a lot of magic."

Cassie nodded, the pieces starting to click in her brain. "When I put on the locket, its magic found the well. The well was awakened because of the magic binding them." Her mind was racing a million miles an hour. "But if the well is emitting such strong magic—"

"Then that means others may have sought after it," said Remus grimly.

"And that means we're not alone out here," Cassie finished darkly, "and that something else may have gotten to the well before us."

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **Also, yeah, I realized that I never really included Cassie finding out about the Marauder's Map, so here we are. I also seriously considered renaming this chapter 'The Return of Little Leaf' because who doesn't love him, honestly?**

 *****IMPORTANT*****

 **I recently posted a companion piece to this fic called 'The Clockwork Collections' if anyone wants to read more about this story, so if you're interested, you should definitely check it out!**

 **Next Chapter: _The Well_**

 **xx**


	36. The Well

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Thank you all for being patient! This is the rewrite of 36. Not a lot changes until the end, so if you've already read it, feel free to skip ahead!**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and thanks to my reviewers from last time!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Well

Despite the moon riding higher in the sky overhead, the forest seemed to grow darker the further they walked. Here the trees were so close it was almost claustrophobic, and the shadows seemed to swallow the light produced by their wands, making it harder for them to see the path. Cassie was certain they would have been lost hours ago if not for James, Sirius, and Peter in their Animagus forms scouting ahead, and Little Leaf, who was now perched on her shoulder and pointing his twiggy arms in the right direction every now and then.

The bowtruckle offered some comfort in the eerie forest, his little feet gripping her shirt and his small leaves brushing across her cheek when he moved. Remus kept close to her side, as well, alert and quiet, and she had half a mind to reach out and grasp his hand, she was so anxious, but thought better of it. She was a Gryffindor. She had to be brave.

She kept repeating this to herself like a mantra as the trees loomed over them, black and still and ominous. Once or twice, she caught eyes peering out at them from the gloom, and she knew they weren't just the Animagi. They gleamed sickly yellow and acid green; some had slits for pupils, while others seemed to reflect their wandlight back to them; but all of them glowed with an unsettling intelligence that kept Cassie on her guard, her grip on her wand so tight she was almost afraid she would snap it.

The locket bounced on her chest as she walked, causing the gears inside to feel like an erratic, jolting heartbeat against her skin. Her own heart had been thumping rapidly ever since they had entered the forest, and the two pulses were making her jumpy, muscles tensed in anticipation of fight-or-flight.

She nearly leaped out of her skin when Remus grabbed her elbow from behind, forcing down a scream as she whirled on him, Little Leaf clinging to her hair to keep from falling off.

"Bloody hell, Remus!" she said, keeping her voice low despite wanting to shout at him for scaring her half to death. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he said, sheepish. "I was just going to ask you how far you think it is to the well from here."

"How should I know?" Her anxiety was making her snappish, and he held up his hands in a placating gesture.

"I know, I know, sorry," he said hastily.

Cassie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

A low whine issued from her side, and she looked down when something wet touched her hand. Sirius was nuzzling her with his nose, and when he saw her acknowledge him, he licked her hand reassuringly.

"Thanks, Padfoot," she said, deciding to just go with it instead of freaking out that her boyfriend was a dog and was currently licking her hand. She patted his head between his ears, and he seemed to smile, his pink tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Little Leaf chirped, tugging on her hair, and she turned to see him pointing between two trees, the trunks just far enough apart to allow them room to squeeze through.

"I think we have to go through there," she said, gesturing to where Little Leaf was pointing.

"I'm hoping it's a coincidence that those trees look like a gateway?" asked Remus nervously, but now that he said it, Cassie saw it, too.

The trunks bent out at an angle, like an oval, and the roots and branches entwined to make an archway almost ten feet tall. Little Leaf tugged on her hair again, insistent, and she grimaced.

"With our luck? No way," she said drily.

He sighed. "Naturally."

This time, Cassie did reach out her hand, and Remus placed his own into it, smiling tightly. She could feel his callouses, and one or two small scars, but it lent her a silent strength that helped steel her resolve.

She led the way to the trees, barely hesitating before stepping through, pulling Remus along with her. They emerged into an equally dark clearing, the landscape remaining the same, but a lingering magic seemed to settle over her skin like a thin covering, making the hair on her arms stand straight up.

"You felt it, too?" Remus asked when she shivered slightly, and she nodded.

"Wards," she said. "A magical boundary."

Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail came scuttling through after them. Padfoot shook himself out as if water clung to his fur, and Prongs snorted irritably, swinging his antlers and pawing the ground. Wormtail squeaked something Cassie didn't understand, but when he caught sight of Little Leaf glaring down at him, he shut up.

Cassie glanced back to the trees apprehensively. "Some wards, if they let just anyone through." She frowned. "Maybe they're Miranda's leftover spells; maybe we're worthy of entry, or something."

"Or they're not Miranda's wards, and someone else's," Remus said, "and they're a trap."

"Do you always have to think of the worst possible scenario?"

Remus looked offended. "I'm only being practical."

"Well, be practical in your head," she grumbled. "Let's keep going."

"Cass," Remus said, his gaze sliding from her to something over her shoulder. "I don't think we have to."

Confused, she turned, but froze when she realized that he was right. She didn't know how she hadn't seen it before, but following his gaze, she felt both the locket and her heart give a little jolt at what she saw.

The well looked exactly as it had in her dreams: ancient, crumbling, and choked with moss. She imagined the stones must once have been bone-white, but after centuries of neglect and weather, they were now stained black and grey, making it seem even more derelict than it already was.

She took a step forward, but Remus held fast to her hand, at the same time that Padfoot let out a warning bark.

"Cassie, don't," Remus hissed. "We don't know if there's something else protecting it."

"We're not going to find out just standing here," she retorted.

"Then let's have all of us be ready," he said, turning to face the Animagi. "You can turn back now, guys."

Cassie averted her eyes as the three boys shifted; despite Sirius's reassurance that they knew how to turn back with clothes on, she wasn't going to take any chances. She only looked up when James and Sirius stood beside her, wands out and determined, with Peter following close behind, nervous, but still with them; all of them fortunately clothed.

"Okay," said Cassie, taking a deep breath, "let's stick together. Wands at the ready."

They all nodded, beginning to creep forward together on some unspoken command, their wands up and aimed at the well, eyes searching. Little Leaf had fallen silent, as if he too were holding his breath in anticipation, and he clung to Cassie's hair tighter. The well remained still and silent, even when they got up right to the edge, close enough to peer down into the yawning darkness below.

Cassie poked her head over the rim, gazing down. She couldn't see anything inside the well – just shadows. Cautiously, she reached out her free hand and stuck it into the opening, even waving it about, but nothing happened.

"That's strange," she murmured, retracting her hand. "There doesn't seem to be anything protecting it besides the wards we just came through."

"Isn't that a good thing?" James asked. "If Miranda's wards held for this long, then maybe nothing else can get to the well."

"How were we able to get past them, though?" Remus countered.

Sirius frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Cassie _is_ Miranda's descendant. And we're all Gryffindors. Maybe it's, like, favoritism or something."

"Can we please just hurry?" said Peter, looking nervously around the clearing as if he expected them to be attacked at any moment. "This is freaking me out."

Cassie looked to Remus. "I'm guessing I can't just _Accio_ this thing out, can I?"

He shrugged. "It never hurts to try."

"Well, here goes nothing." She waved her wand, saying clearly, _"Accio_ gauntlet!" They waited for a few moments, but nothing happened, and she lowered her wand dejectedly.

"So, now what?" James said.

"Miranda said the gauntlet was hidden at the bottom, locked away in a chest that only the locket can open," Cassie said, tapping the locket against her chest. It had gone eerily still, its metal cool against her skin, but she thought nothing of it. "Our best chance of retrieving it is if someone goes in."

Peter squeaked involuntarily in fear. "You mean go in _there?"_ He pointed to the pitch-blackness of the well. "We can't even see the bottom! There could be anything in there."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions, Pete," said Cassie exasperatedly.

Sirius laid a hand on her tense shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. "It's all right, Cass. I'll do it."

"No way," she said immediately, shrugging his hand off and turning to face him incredulously. "I'm not letting you go in there."

"But I'm guessing I'll just have to let you?" he retorted.

She glared at him. "Look, I made a promise to myself – to _Will._ I would give up my own life if it meant I could save his – if I could save _others._ It has to be me."

Sirius scowled, but before he could argue, Remus stepped in between them.

"Cassie, we know that," he said, "but Sirius is right. You can't do this alone."

"I'm not alone," she said. "I have all of you here with me."

"And that means all of us are going down together," said James firmly, stepping up to Remus's side and raising his chin, as if daring her to argue.

"Bloody Gryffindors," she said in disbelief. "You really can't let one person have their heroic moment to themselves, can you?"

"Rich, coming from a lion herself," said James. He clapped her on the shoulder cheerfully before striding back to the well, calculating. "It'll be a tight fit with all five of us down there, that's for sure."

"We should split up, then," Remus said. "Three of us up here to keep watch, while the other two go down. That way if something goes wrong, we can defend ourselves up here, but also help the two out if they run into trouble down there."

"Good idea, Moony," said James. "Who's going down, then?"

"Me," said Cassie and Sirius at the same time.

James snorted. "Like that's a shocker." He waved his hand at them. "All right, lovebirds, you two have your fun, but remember: we're on a mission. I don't want any snogging, groping, or other forms of sexual tension going on down there—"

"No promises," Sirius said, grinning. "Only kidding," he added when he caught the unamused stare Cassie was giving him.

"Just don't do anything stupid, please," Cassie said to James. "And look out for each other. We'll make this as fast as possible."

"You got it, princess." He smiled, ruffling her hair before pulling her in for a quick hug. "Be safe, Cassie." He gave Sirius a sort of affectionate punch that she took as a manly thing, but the two boys nodded to each other, their minds already connected in a way that no gesture could recreate. "Watch out for yourselves down there."

"Will do." Sirius patted his shoulder once more before they all moved in different directions, James, Remus, and Peter setting up a perimeter around the well, while Cassie and Sirius approached the ancient structure.

"Any thoughts on how to get down there?" she asked uncertainly.

 _"Wingardium,_ maybe?" he suggested.

She quirked her lips. "I don't like the idea of relying on magic when it comes to this thing." She traced her fingers along the rim of the well, thinking. "It obviously has its own magic if it prevents us from Summoning the gauntlet." She paused, suddenly recalling something from her dream. "Check the other side, see if there's a chain or a rope with a bucket attached."

Sirius circled around the well before stopping and bending down. She heard the telltale rattle of metal as he reappeared, hoisting up a very old and rusted chain.

"There's no bucket," he said, "but we could use this to lower ourselves down."

"It'll have to work," she said, coming up beside him. She followed the length of the chain until she found its source. Two iron rings were interlocked with each other, with one of the rings buried into the stone foundation of the well, and she gave the chain an experimental tug. The rings jiggled a bit, enough to make her leery, and she turned to Sirius. "Know any spells to make sure this thing stays put?"

He tapped his wand against his chin for a moment, pondering, before saying, "Stand back."

She shifted away from him slightly as he pointed his wand to the rings and said, _"Manere."_

The rings stiffened, snapping into place with a metallic groan. Cassie tugged on the chain again, and this time the rings held fast. She cast him an impressed look, and he waggled his brows.

"I think that deserves another kiss," he said cheekily, and she rolled her eyes.

"Later," she said, "if we survive this."

"You'd think that would be more incentive to do it now, then," he teased.

Cassie ignored him. "The sooner we get this over with, the better. So let's go."

He only looked slightly put-out as she knelt, removing Little Leaf from her shoulder and setting him down gently in the grass. He reached his twiggy arms out for her to pick him up again, like a child, and her heart swelled at the gesture.

"Sorry, little guy, but you can't come with me this time," she said sadly. "Stay up here and keep watch with the others, okay?"

She didn't know if he could entirely understand her or not, but if bowtruckles had any shoulders to square or a chest to puff out, then she was sure he would have been doing so in that moment. She bent down and kissed his tiny head, ignoring the rough bark against her lips, before standing back up and returning to Sirius.

"Oh, so the bowtruckle gets a kiss, but not your boyfriend?" he demanded.

"I believe you're forgetting, my dear Sirius, that it's your turn to make the first move, is it not?" she countered, smirking when he frowned. "After all, I _did_ kiss you in the Great Hall today…" She leaned in close, their lips nearly brushing as she whispered, "And that was just a taste."

She drew away before he could react, and he shook his head, sighing despite the wide grin on his face.

"Cruel, Alderfair, just cruel," he said.

She laughed, punching his shoulder lightly. "C'mon, we're wasting time."

Shaking his head and muttering something under his breath she didn't catch, he followed her to the well, where she picked up the chain once more. "Help me drop this in."

They hefted the chain onto the rim, and Sirius heaved it over the edge with a grunt. The chain disappeared rapidly into the darkness, rattling and clinking for what seemed like an eternity, until finally there was a distant splash, and it stopped feeding into the well.

"At least we know there's something down there now," she said, squinting her eyes to see if she could see the source of the splash, but all her sight picked up were shadows.

"I'll go first," he said, hoisting himself onto the rim and silencing her with a severe look when she was about to protest. "Save it, princess. I'm not tamed yet." He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Trust me, I wouldn't dream of trying to tame you," she assured.

He smirked. "Good." He grabbed hold of the chain, his legs swinging down into the well. "Because we both know I'm still a rebel at heart."

"Yeah, for sure." Cassie nodded, faking her agreement and giving him a soft smile that oozed sarcasm. "So wild."

"Oh, sweetheart, you haven't seen anything yet." It was a jest, she knew, but she also couldn't stop her heart from dropping when his eyes raked over her suggestively.

"Even in the midst of danger you still flirt," she said, shaking her head incredulously, but her face was hot and flushed from blushing. "Why am I not surprised?"

"It got you to stop stressing for a minute, didn't it?" he pointed out, and she frowned, realizing he was right. He grinned. "Now, are you coming or not, princess?"

She shook her head, climbing up onto the well and dangling her legs over the rim, swallowing down her fear. She shifted carefully until she was on her stomach before slowly lowering herself into the well, her trainers finding purchase on the stone while her hands gripped the chain.

They descended into the darkness at a steady pace. The only light they had came from the opening above them, but it was so dim they soon couldn't see anything, even if they waved a hand in front of their face. Cassie had suggested getting their wands out for light, but Sirius had disagreed, pointing out that they could easily drop them and lose them. Though she much would have preferred some sort of light for their descent, she reluctantly accepted his logic, and they continued down in silence.

The chain bit into Cassie's hands painfully as they went on, but she dared not let go to give them a break, too scared of falling forever into the yawning blackness. She could hear Sirius a few feet below her, breathing hard from exertion, his shoes scraping roughly against the side of the well, and it was this that motivated her to keep going.

It felt like they had been descending for hours, but it had probably only been about fifteen minutes. Cassie paused, her arms shaking as sweat poured down her face, calling down to Sirius. "Anything?"

"No," he grunted. "Only damn empty air."

"Keep going," she said, trying to be encouraging, but she was so exhausted that it came out more like a whimper of pain. "We can do this.

"We have to," she added quietly to herself as they continued.

Another five minutes passed before Sirius gave a startled yelp, and Cassie's heart leapt. "Sirius? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I think I found the bottom," he said. "What the…"

Cassie heard the sound of sloshing water, and Sirius uttered another confused remark. "That's weird…"

"What is?" Her voice was strained from holding herself in place, and she heard more water noises.

"There's a solid bottom," he said. "I'm standing on it right now. The water's only about waist-high." He moved around some more. "I don't understand. Where is the water coming from if the bottom's sealed up?"

"Replenishing Spell?" she suggested. "Hold on, I'm coming down."

"Maybe…" he muttered, as Cassie's feet plunged into cold water, making her flinch.

Cautiously, she let go of the chain, and she landed in the water, her clothes getting soaked up to her navel as her feet pressed against solid stone. She took out her wand and lit it, allowing her to see the bottom.

The water was dark and extremely cold; she could already feel herself shivering, even though it felt good after their excavation. She put her hand under the surface and brought it up, cupping some of the water in her palm and giving it an experimental sniff.

"It's not stagnant," she observed. "Either someone's been maintaining this well or it draws from its own power to keep the water fresh."

"Well, the chest is here somewhere, right?" he said. "Let's start looking."

Cassie nodded, biting her wand between her teeth as they both bent and began searching, plunging their arms into the water and using their hands to rove over the bottom. The stones were smooth and polished as Cassie's fingers brushed over them, but she kept hoping they would bump into something more like a chest. Sirius seemed to be having no luck either, as he kept splashing around, his brow contracted in frustration.

"This is pointless," he burst out. "Miranda doesn't know what the hell she's talking about. There's nothing here."

"Just keep searching," she tried to say around her wand, but it came out more like, _"Juh kee sershing."_

"Let's face it, Cassie," he said, turning to her angrily. "This whole thing has been nothing but a wild goose chase. For months we've been obsessing over this while we could've been doing things that actually matter against Voldemort, instead of going on an Easter egg hunt for something that probably doesn't even exist!"

Cassie whipped her wand out of her mouth, pissed at what she was hearing. "Of course it matters, Sirius! If we find the gauntlet, then whatever Voldemort's planning to do with it won't happen. How could you say that this has all been for nothing, when Will's life hangs in the balance? When _my_ life hangs in the balance?"

Her chest suddenly felt too tight, and she wondered if she was finally succumbing to hysterics as every doubt and fear came crashing into her like a Bludger. "Don't give up on me, Sirius. Not now after we've come this far. Please."

Sirius waded over to her, his face pained. "I know, Cass. I'm sorry. It's just…" He reached out, cupping her face with his hands, and he looked on the verge of saying something more before his face suddenly paled and his eyes widened. "Cassie…"

"What?" she said, her voice tight from the pressure on her chest, when she realized with a sickening lurch that the pressure came from nothing internal, but rather, there was something coiling around her torso like a vice. She looked down, her wandlight skimming over the back of something scaly just under the surface of the water, and she fought down a horrified scream, trying to keep her body as still as possible.

"Hang on, Cassie," said Sirius softly, though his voice was edged with panic as he raised his wand. "Just hang on…don't move…"

"Hurry, Sirius," she whispered, near tears. "Get it off, get it off, get it off, get it off—"

There was a flash of light from Sirius's wand and an echoing bang that sounded like a cannon blast in the enclosed space. Whatever had been wrapped around Cassie's body writhed and flailed, releasing her, and she launched herself into Sirius's arms, screaming, as it disappeared further into the water.

"Come on, go!" Sirius was shouting over her screams. "Get to the chain! Climb!"

"Cassie! Sirius!" A sudden clamor from above made them look up, and Cassie could barely discern the three huddled heads of James, Remus, and Peter as they called down to them. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

"Just get us out of here!" Cassie screeched, grabbing hold of the chain and shoving her wand into her pocket. She made to jump out of the water, but she froze when her shoe kicked something solid, a dull _thunk_ emanating from underwater.

"Sirius!" she cried. "The chest! I found it!"

"Leave it!" he said, shoving her back toward the chain. "I don't know where that thing went, and I don't wanna stay to find out!"

"No, I'm not leaving without it!" She dove back for the water, her hand reaching, but Sirius grabbed her around the waist. "Sirius, no! It's right there, please!"

"I'm not letting you die over a fucking box!" he roared.

Cassie accidentally elbowed him in the stomach, but it was enough to make him loosen his hold on her. She sucked in a deep breath and went below the surface, her hands fumbling around for the chest. For one terrifying moment, she couldn't find it again, but a few seconds later her fingers latched onto a small iron chest, and she pulled it up with her as she emerged from the water.

"I got it!" she said, thrusting it at Sirius and ignoring the thunderous look on his face. "Go on, go!"

She started for him and the chain before the water boiled in front of her, and out of the depths of the well rose the largest serpent she had ever seen. She had no idea how a snake that size had hidden in such a small well, until she remembered the stone floor beneath her feet.

 _This isn't a well – it's a tomb._

 _"A thousand years' slumber…in a tomb beyond light…"_ the locket seemed to whisper, and her heart dropped.

"CASSIE!" Sirius bellowed, but it was too late.

The serpent lunged, and Cassie was dragged below the water.

* * *

Cassie opened her eyes to find herself back at a familiar scene.

She recognized the high, vaulted ceilings and marble floors, and when she turned, Godric Gyffindor's tomb still stood upon the dais, the body still inside of it. The only thing missing was the white-robed crowd of mourning witches and wizards, and Miranda was nowhere to be found. However, there was another person in the room with her, and she recalled the pointed, narrow face and black hair quite well as he gave her a lipless smile.

"Exquisite," said Salazar Slytherin, his cold eyes raking her over with razor sharp focus. "You are truly as beautiful as Miranda, my dear." His smile turned into a lazy smirk, however, when he locked gazes with her. "Your eyes, though…well, I guess Godric would have left his mark somewhere. You have the same look he had – pigheaded stubbornness, mistaken for bravery."

She bristled at his words, her hands clenching into fists.

"That snake is yours," she hissed. "Call it off."

"Wrong," he said blandly. _"I_ am the serpent."

"You're dead," she said, suddenly confused. "You have been for a thousand years." She frowned. "And you don't look like a ghost."

"My dear," he said, looking to her as if she were slow and stupid, and her anger rose, "there are other ways to live beyond the confines of mortality." He smiled poisonously. "If you're willing to push the envelope a bit."

His words reminded her of the night she had been left alone with Voldemort in Alderfair Manor, where he had said something similar: _"I have achieved things no other wizard would dare; I have pushed the limits of life farther than anyone else."_

"What do you want with me?" she demanded. "Why bring me to whatever this is?" She waved a hand around them.

He shrugged. "This is your mind we're in. I just happened across this image while I was combing through." He conjured a high-backed chair with a flick of his wrist and sat down in it, his emerald-and-black robes shimmering like snakeskin with the movement. "Not to worry though, my dear; you've only been submerged for a few seconds. I reckon you won't have drowned when I release you." He smiled, this time showing his teeth, and she squirmed at the disarming effect it had. "Hopefully.

"As for why I brought you here," he continued, "well, you _are_ trespassing. The Forest is off-limits for a reason, you know."

"Yeah, because you murdered Godric and framed it like he was killed by some dangerous creature," she replied scathingly.

"Oh, I didn't frame it that way," he said, pressing a hand to his chest, and she noticed a heavy gold locket hanging there, inlaid with glittering green stones that formed the letter 'S'. "Godric _was_ killed by a dangerous creature – that creature just so happened to be me."

"You're an Animagus," she realized.

He smirked at her. "Surprise."

"So that's how you've survived all this time," she said, working through the clues slowly. "You've been hiding out here in your Animagus form."

"This well, as I'm sure you've noticed, has a great deal of power," he said, nodding. "For as long as anyone can remember, it has always been here in this forest. Its magic is what keeps the land alive, and that magic is what has attracted so many magical creatures over the ages. Everyone thought it was just some old ruin, but I knew better. There was a reason why I suggested to the other Founders that we build our school on its grounds – this well is the Fountain of Youth."

Cassie's jaw dropped despite herself. _"What?"_

Salazar shrugged. "It's the reason why I've been here all this time. The well has gifted me long life."

"But why remain an Animagus?" she asked. "Couldn't you have just taken a sip and become immortal, like, forever ago?"

"A common misconception," he said, looking extremely disappointed in her, as if she were a student that had given the professor a wrong answer, until she realized that technically, she was. "The Fountain of Youth does not grant unlimited immortality – even its magic has boundaries, and time magic has the highest price of all.

"You see, there is nothing about you that is immortal. Your body is merely a host to be used and discarded when it finally dies. Even your soul dies eventually. But where does it go? That depends on who you ask." He tilted his head, pondering. "Some believe that it passes on to a type of afterlife; some souls remain tethered to this world as ghosts, as I am sure you are familiar with. Others think that the soul dies with the body, but that is not true. It lives on, until it collapses such as a dying star. But the Fountain of Youth prevents that. One drop, and your soul lives forever."

"So for your soul to become immortal, you have to give up a physical form that it resides in?" She shook her head. "But you can still turn into a giant snake? How does that make sense?"

"Consciousness and a soul aren't the same thing," he said, and she suddenly felt like screaming.

"Why am I here?" she demanded. "Get out of my head and let me go back!"

"In time," he drawled. "But first, there are some things you must understand." He locked eyes with her, and his gaze was so cold that she felt her knees quiver beneath her. "Tell me, my dear, did you really think you could simply waltz in and take Gryffindor's gauntlet for your own?"

Cassie felt like she had been kicked in the chest. "What?"

"Oh, yes, I am well aware of your little mission," he said, waving his hand dismissively. "Young William was a fool to give you that locket. I had intended it for him, and eventually my heir."

"What are you talking about?" Cassie choked out.

"Your sweet brother was really too easy to manipulate," he continued, pretending he hadn't heard her. "Dear William – so curious, so trusting. His mind was like an open door. I coached him through his final year here; he was very interested in magic, you know, and wanted to get out in the world and help make a difference. I only gave him a little nudge in the right direction. He had always been so fascinated by the Dark Arts, and so I urged him to learn more. The rest was entirely up to him. His fascination turned into ambition, and that ambition led him into the arms of my heir."

"Voldemort," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

He nodded. "Indeed. I knew my heir was searching for something – a treasure that had once belonged to Gryffindor. And I also knew just where to find it. The well's power keeps me confined to Hogwarts, but I had already ensnared William. It wasn't difficult to plant the idea to find the locket in his head and enchant it with my clues. He was meant to give it to my heir." He scowled. "But instead he gave it to you."

Cassie swallowed nervously, her fingers clasping around the locket at her throat. It was still cool and unmoving, but her fear hitched higher when Salazar's eyes bored into her.

"I admit, that _did_ surprise me," he said quietly, still watching the hand that was holding the locket. "It seemed that William's love for you and his guilt for all that he'd done had overpowered my persuasion – but I punished him greatly for it by forcing him to torture all those Muggles."

Cassie thought back to her birthday several months prior, when the news about her brother instigating an attack on those Muggles in Cokeworth had first gotten published, and she suddenly felt like vomiting.

"You son of a bitch," she hissed, her whole frame beginning to tremble from rage. "You were the one who stole my brother from me."

"I only emboldened him enough to unleash what he already was," he said silkily, rising from his chair and prowling towards her. "Now, I'll be needing that locket, my dear."

Cassie backed away from him, reaching for her wand, only to find that it was gone. She watched in horror as Salazar began to transform, his skin melting away to reveal black scales and his eyes growing, changing from a glittering grey to a poisonous yellow, his pupils narrowing to slits. His body became one large coil of writhing scales, his robes dropping away to reveal the serpent, standing several feet above her, and she kept backing up until she stumbled at the foot of the dais.

Desperate, she reached for the Sword of Gryffindor that she knew to be upon Godric's breast, but she screamed and tumbled off the dais when she saw her own body lying in the tomb instead, blank eyes staring up at her accusingly.

Cassie watched the serpent slithering towards her, its mouth opening in a snarl to reveal two fangs ready to pierce her throat. She closed her eyes and clutched the locket, praying the end would be quick, only distantly aware that the locket had begun to hum again, growing hotter and hotter in her hand.

She sensed the snake ready to strike and thought about Sirius and James, Remus and Peter, Lily, Alice, and Marlene, her mother and brother. She prayed they would understand and go on without her, a last sob wracking her body as the serpent lunged.

A strangled hiss and lack of biting fangs made Cassie glance up warily, and she gasped when she saw a woman in a white dress standing between her and the snake, a copy of the clockwork locket gleaming at her throat.

"I have waited a long time for this, Salazar," Miranda said, and the serpent snapped at her, though it was shrinking away in a mass of writhing coils and a whipping tail, as if afraid of the golden light that surrounded her.

Cassie stared, uncomprehending, as Miranda turned to face her, and now she understood what was driving the snake off as pure fury and unadulterated power slammed into her, rendering her breathless.

"Wake up, Cassie," Miranda ordered. "Get the gauntlet and do not look back."

"What about you?" she asked, eyeing the retreating serpent fearfully.

Miranda gave her a humorless smile. "I have waited centuries for my revenge. Salazar is powerless against my wrath."

She turned back to the serpent, which was now gathering itself for retaliation. "You always were a spineless snake, Salazar. I pity whatever afterlife I send you to."

The serpent roared, bearing down on them, and Cassie shut her eyes, wrenching herself out of the vision as golden light exploded around her.

* * *

She came to with a jolt, dragging herself out of the water with a gasping breath.

"CASSIE!" Sirius yelled, letting out a strangled sob as she floundered in the water, trying to regain her footing. "Oh, thank Merlin! Thank Godric!"

He pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace and thumped her back as she began spitting up water, clinging to him like a lifeline as her chest heaved and her stomach roiled. She realized that the water around them was beginning to steam, bubbling like a pot of boiling water, and the sides of the well were beginning to rumble violently.

"We have to get out of here," she managed to rasp. He nodded quickly, leading her to the chain. "Wait, where's the chest?"

"I have it, it's here," he said, holding it up by one of its handles. "I'm going to tie the chain around you, so they can pull you up with the chest."

"I'm not leaving you behind!" she said shrilly, attempting to wrestle away from him, but he was too strong for her in her weakened state, and he was already securing the chain around her.

"I'll be right behind you, Cass, don't worry," he said, making sure the chain was firm as he handed her the chest. He gave her a reassuring smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "I promise."

Without even thinking, she seized the front of his shirt and crushed her mouth to his, putting everything she had behind that kiss. He reached up and gripped the back of her head, his fingers knotting in her hair as they snogged like the world was ending around them – which, it quite probably was, literally.

They broke apart only when the well rattled with the force of an earthquake around them, and Sirius gave a sharp jerk on the chain, yelling, "PULL HER UP!"

The chain began ascending at a fast but jerky pace, and Cassie felt her fingers slip from Sirius's grasp as she was hoisted up.

"That's twice in one day, Black!" she shouted down to him, and she could see him grinning at her before the darkness swallowed him from sight. "You owe me now!"

The quaking of the well drowned out his reply, and Cassie tried not to think if that was the last time she would see him as she kept ascending. Finally, light began returning to her vision, and the air became cooler and sweeter as she was pulled out of the well, coughing and blinking in the sudden light.

Remus and James pulled her onto the rim, and she collapsed against Remus, wheezing from all the dust the well had shaken loose as it continued to tremble. The tremors weren't nearly as bad up there as they were below, but she could still feel the vibrations as she fell on the grass, James and Peter working rapidly to get the chain undone from around her and go back for Sirius.

"Cassie, are you all right?" asked Remus frantically, his hands smoothing over her face and hair, eyes searching for injuries. "What happened down there?"

She shoved the chest into his arms in lieu of answering, and he looked down to it, astonished. "Is this…the gauntlet?"

"Help me," she moaned, tapping the locket, and he bent over her, gently lifting her neck to unclasp it. His face hovered over hers, and since she was already in a "desperately-affectionate-because-our-lives-are-on-the-line" mood, she reached up and planted a firm kiss on his cheek.

He looked down to her, shocked, but she only flopped back down listlessly, every muscle in her body aching in pain. "What was that for?"

"Saving my life," she answered, and he chuckled slightly, his face quite red as he managed to get the locket off her.

"Ow, shit, this thing's hot!" he exclaimed, bouncing it from hand to hand as he put it up to the chest. "So, it just goes here?"

Cassie nodded, forcing herself to sit up and take the locket from him, feeling no heat at all from it. She located the lock he had indicated, but before she could do anything, the earth swayed violently beneath them, and they turned to stare in horror as the well began collapsing in on itself with a deafening roar.

James and Peter were screaming for Sirius as the stones broke apart, plummeting towards the bottom of the well, and Cassie and Remus sprinted to help, though nothing could be done. The well was falling apart, and Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

"SIRIUS!" Cassie screamed. "SIRIUS!"

The ground bucked again, sending them sprawling, but Cassie scrambled back to her feet, still screaming Sirius's name. Before she could get close to the well again, however, an unearthly shriek pierced the air, followed by a familiar wrathful voice.

 _"GO BACK TO THE HOLE FROM WHENCE YOU CAME, BEAST!"_ Miranda's voice boomed. _"LET THIS NIGHT BE THE END OF THE REIGN OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN!"_

Another shockwave went through the earth, bringing Cassie to her knees as an explosion of golden light washed over them with the force of a bomb. A loud _CRACK_ echoed around the clearing, and Cassie struggled to see through the light, letting out a hoarse shout as the well was sucked under, the earth closing over it as if it were being stitched back together, leaving nothing in its wake but a faint scar of dirt. The light abruptly faded, and the ground ceased its tremors, leaving them in a deafening and eerie silence.

"Sirius, no!" she sobbed, crawling to the spot where the well had disappeared. "Sirius!"

James followed close behind her, his face ashen and streaked with tears, copying Cassie and calling out Sirius's name, with Remus and Peter taking up the cry, as well.

"Merlin, would you all stop your blubbering? I'm embarrassed _for_ you."

They all watched in astonishment as Sirius limped his way over to them, covered in dirt and grime, but looking very much alive.

"Padfoot!" James yelped, barreling into his friend and hugging him so tightly Cassie was sure she had heard his spine crack all the way over from where she stood.

"James, ow, geroff," he griped, but he looked happy nonetheless as he and Remus clapped each other on the back and exchanged a high-five with Peter.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" demanded James, looking between Sirius and Cassie and sighing when they only had eyes for each other. "Oh, all right, get it over with so we can move along with our lives."

Cassie rushed into Sirius's arms, trembling from suppressed tears as he pressed his mouth to her hairline, his own chest heaving with emotion.

"I thought the worst," she admitted, sniffling. "The well—"

"You're forgetting something, love," he said, and she looked up to him, baffled. He gave her a cocky wink. "I'm Sirius bloody Black."

"Ugh, moment ruined," she said, pushing him away as he laughed. "I'm never kissing you again."

"Aw, c'mon princess, that's not fair," he said, pulling her closer by her waist, but he started laughing again when she slapped his hands away.

"How are you even laughing right now?" she said. "We almost died! How did you even manage to escape?" She waved her hand at the spot where the well used to be, and he shrugged, frowning.

"Miranda, I think." Cassie gaped at him as he explained. "It was like...I could hear her in my head. She told me that I wasn't meant to die today, or something like that, and when the well started collapsing, there was like this _shield_ around me, like someone cast a _Protego._ I managed to climb the side and get out before it closed up." He shook his head. "I'm crazy, right? There was no way Miranda could've helped me."

"She was there, Sirius," said Cassie. "She helped me too."

"So, is anyone actually going to explain to me what the fuck just happened, or am I supposed to fill in the blanks myself?" James grouched.

"Cass got attacked by a big snake," Sirius began, pointing to her, and she huffed, embarrassed. "It dragged her under the water for a few seconds, and then suddenly everything started going to shit."

"It wasn't just a big snake," she grumbled. "It was Salazar Slytherin's Animagus form, which just happened to be a big snake. And before you ask, yes, he was supposed to be dead, but apparently that well was the Fountain of Youth and he had made his soul immortal by drinking from it."

"What the fuck?" she heard Peter whisper into the sudden silence.

Remus looked back and forth between Sirius and Cassie. "Well, did you two drink anything?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nah. Cassie sorta drowned, though."

Everyone looked to her, but she shrugged. "I don't feel any different."

"A problem for another time, then," said Remus. "How did you know the snake was Salazar Slytherin?"

"He kind of spoke to me, like, in my mind," she said, suddenly self-conscious. "Like a vision or something." She shook her head, scoffing. "Also found out that he had somehow gotten into Will's mind, too, and manipulated him into turning Dark. The locket had been Slytherin's idea; he had meant for Will to give it to Voldemort – his heir apparent – but Will broke free from his control long enough to leave it with me instead. He wanted me to find Slytherin – he _wanted_ me to end all of this. Just not in the original way we thought."

"What would Slytherin want with Miranda's old locket, I wonder?" Remus mused, but Sirius snorted.

"Who cares?" he said. "We have the locket, and Miranda kicked his musty arse. Now let's grab this gauntlet and get it to Dumbledore."

Remus was still frowning, but Cassie knew Sirius was right. It was over. They had won, and it would all end as soon as she handed over the gauntlet to Dumbledore.

Peter came back with the chest and the locket from where Cassie and Remus had abandoned them in favor of Sirius. He set the chest on the ground before holding out the locket to Cassie. "Want to do the honors?"

She nodded, taking the locket and kneeling before the chest, the Marauders crowding around her. The chest was small, no bigger than a briefcase, but it was made entirely out of iron. Carved pictures and runes decorated it, but she paid no mind to them, already focused on another task. She placed the locket into the circular lock on the front of the chest, holding her breath as she slowly turned it, until there was a distinct click.

They all traded a glance before Cassie pried open the lid, years of disuse having welded it shut, but it finally popped loose with a rusty groan. She threw back the lid, and they all huddled closer to get a better look.

The gauntlet was still in perfect condition, considering how long it had been abandoned. Its silver-plating and embedded rubies still sparkled like new, and Sirius gave a low whistle at the sight.

"Now that's some serious money," he said admiringly. "Goblin-made, too – this would fetch a fortune. Er, if we were selling it," he amended hastily at Cassie's glance, "which we're not, so…"

Carefully, Cassie lifted the gauntlet into her hands, having to grudgingly agree with Sirius. The gauntlet probably cost more than the entirety of the Alderfair and Black fortunes combined.

"Come on," she said. "It's probably nearing dawn—"

It happened between one blink and the next. One moment, the gauntlet was sitting in her hands, and the next, it had begun to disintegrate right before her eyes, turning to dust.

"No!" she gasped, watching in horror as it kept falling apart. "No, no, no, no, no…"

She frantically tried to collect the pieces of the gauntlet, but every time she scooped up another handful, more would keep falling, until she was left with nothing more than dust. The gauntlet was gone.

There was a stunned silence as they took in the remains of the gauntlet, before Cassie turned to them tearfully. "Can't we do anything? There has to be something – a way to reverse it, to fix it—"

"Cass," said Remus sadly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

She stared at the pile of dust before her, disbelieving. It wasn't over. It _couldn't_ be. Not after they had come so far, not after everything…

"No," she whimpered. _"No._ Not like this. Please, not like this."

"Cassie," Sirius said, bending down beside her and taking her hand. "C'mon, love, there's nothing we can do. Let's go."

"Will…" She gave a little sob. "This was the only thing I had – the only thing I could bargain for his life."

"We'll find another way," he said, kissing her hair softly, but she just stared at the pile of dust and the locket. The locket…

Everything had started because of that damned locket. That locket was the reason for everything – Will joining the Death Eaters, her finding the gauntlet – only to have it all snatched away from her at the last second.

Enraged, she shot to her feet and brought her foot down on the locket, hearing it crunch satisfyingly under her trainer. She grabbed the broken pieces and hurled them deep into the woods, as far away from her as possible as she let out a broken yell. It echoed hauntingly through the forest, and something inside of her shattered at the sound. She breathed deeply for a moment more before turning back to the Marauders, devastatingly calm all of a sudden.

"Where's Little Leaf?" she demanded.

The four boys all shrugged and muttered, not meeting her eyes, but she only nodded coolly, making her way past them.

"Where are you going?" James called after her, concerned, but she only turned back to him with a bitter smile.

"Back to the castle," she said. "This is what you wanted, isn't it? For all this to be over, for us to go back to our normal lives? Well? You got what you wanted, right?"

"It doesn't have to be over, Cass—" James said uncertainly, but she laughed derisively.

"Yes it fucking does, James!" she shrieked, and the bespectacled boy took a step back in shock. "There's nothing left! Do you get that? We have _nothing_ on our side anymore! And the sooner you accept that, the better."

And without another word, she turned and strode into the trees, back the way they came, leaving the Marauders to trade an anxious glance before following in silence.

* * *

The walk back to the castle was much faster than their journey to the well, and they emerged from the forest to find the sky an inky shade of blue that signaled the approach of dawn. No one dared speak as they crossed the grounds, partly from fear of being heard by either Hagrid or Professor Kettleburn, and partly from fear of further antagonizing Cassie.

The four boys were sure that if they even breathed too loudly, she would fly into another rage, and so they kept their heads down and silently followed her, which wasn't hard, as they were all exhausted.

Cassie stopped before the front doors of the castle, turning to face them and ignoring the way Peter flinched when he saw her face.

"We should put the cloak on now," she said, her voice hollow, and James nodded quickly, extracting it from his pocket and gesturing for them all to get under.

They huddled together as they crept inside, and Cassie began to feel some stirring of guilt as everyone seemed to avoid touching her. Even Sirius seemed afraid of making the wrong move, but she only sighed as they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

The Fat Lady was unamused when they came to a stop outside the portrait hole and gave her the password, but as usual when it concerned the Marauders, she only sniffed haughtily and turned a blind eye as she allowed them entry.

Peter scurried up the boys' staircase without a backward glance, but James, Sirius, and Remus lingered in the empty common room with her, uncertain.

Cassie sighed, suddenly exhausted. "Will you tell Peter that I'm sorry? I didn't mean to scare him. I'm just..." She felt tears brimming in her eyes, but she swiped them away. "I'm so angry. After everything...only for it to end like that..."

James stepped up to her and wrapped her in a tight hug, and she held him fast, her sobs being absorbed into his chest. Remus came up behind her and placed his arms around them both, with Sirius mimicking him on their other side. Cassie allowed herself to cry in their arms, feeling as if they were the only things keeping her together at that point, the glue holding her in place despite all the pressure that was weighing on her, trying to make her crack.

"We'll find a way to help Will, Cassie," James said, his voice muffled slightly by her hair. "We're not giving up, I promise you."

She nodded into his jumper, too emotional to speak, and Remus rubbed her back reassuringly.

"We're not going anywhere, Cass," he said softly. "You're one of us now. We'll do anything it takes to help you."

"Thank you," she managed to get out, and they lingered like that for a moment more before they broke apart.

"Get some sleep, princess," said James, ruffling her hair, and she nodded as he disappeared up the staircase, Remus falling into step behind him with a last comforting smile.

Sirius stayed behind, but she wasn't surprised. She had seen the look on his face when she had dived back into the water for the chest, and she knew she was in for it.

"All right, spit it out," she said, gesturing for him to speak. "Yell at me all you like for not listening to you and going back for the chest. I'm mentally prepared now."

Sirius shook his head, scoffing. "I'm not going to yell at you, Cass."

She gave him a confused look. "Isn't that your whole spiel, though? 'I'm just trying to protect you, Cassie' and all that?"

He smiled ruefully, gathering her in his arms, and for the first time that night, she felt herself relax just a little bit. "Oh, trust me, that was one of the more idiotic moves on your part, Alderfair. But I figured you were already beating yourself up enough tonight, so I'll skip the lecture." He kissed the top of her head lightly. "Don't let this get to you, Cass. You did everything you could. This is all just a minor setback."

Cassie pushed away from him, incredulous.

"'A minor setback?'' she repeated. "Are you serious? _Don't,"_ she warned when he opened his mouth, pun at the ready. He quickly closed it again. "The one thing I could've used to bring Voldemort to his knees and Will back turned into _dust_ before my very eyes! I have nothing else! I've condemned him to death! _"_

"Dammit, Cassie, it's not over!" he snapped, startling her into silence. "It's not over until we say it is, and I'm not giving up so easily."

"You think I'm giving up?" she said.

"That's what it bloody sounds like to me," he said angrily, and she scowled. "Look, Cassie, you were the only one who believed Will was still good, the first one who thought to start solving this mystery. And even when we had our doubts, even when _you_ had your doubts, you never gave up. You persevered, and you helped us believe, too. All I'm saying is: don't turn your back on everything now. Not when we've come so far. Maybe we're back at square one, but if we did it before, we can do it again. Please, all I'm asking is that you believe in yourself, just one more time."

Cassie had begun to cry again at his words. "How can I do anything more? Voldemort has already won."

"He hasn't won," Sirius said, seizing her arms in an almost painful grip. "Cassie, listen to me: Voldemort isn't going to get that gauntlet. It's been destroyed. _Will_ helped us do that. Remember? 'If Darkness adds to its number, the world shall fall to night.' We stopped that, Cass. Will helped us stop that."

She shook her head. "I still can't save him."

"Like hell," he snarled, his grey eyes alight with silver fire. "We'll find a way. We always do."

She looked into his eyes then, and she knew he meant it. He wasn't giving up on her, not yet, and she couldn't either. _A minor setback,_ he had said, and she suddenly believed it.

They had gotten closer during their talk, and he seemed to realize it at the same moment she did, for he licked his lips nervously and looked away when her breath faltered slightly.

"Sirius..." she said, though whatever she had been about to say stumbled and got lost when he turned back to her, determined.

"Still waiting for me to make my move, princess?" he asked, and his voice had become much lower, huskier and seductive, and she found herself nodding along.

"I told you, you owe me, Black," she said quietly, and that was all the invitation he needed.

His lips finally crashed against hers, making her gasp as her blood thundered in her veins. One of his hands snaked through her hair, pulling her further in as his mouth danced across hers like fire, white-hot flames snatching the breath from her lungs and burning her from the inside out.

She broke apart long enough to collapse back on one of the sofas, fighting for air through the fire engulfing her and dragging him with her until he was propped above her, his hair falling into his face as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"Are you sure?" he managed to get out.

"I've waited long enough, Sirius Black," she said, pulling him closer. "Now, _bloody kiss me."_

He dove back in eagerly, lips capturing hers in a hungry desperation, and she was glad she was lying down, or else her knees might've turned into jelly on the spot. She kept her hands moving, clutching at his shoulders, his arms, his back – any part of him that she could reach. His muscles strained from keeping himself raised above her, and she traced her fingers over them through the fabric of his clothes, accidentally biting his lip when she grinned to herself.

He only responded to her clumsiness by pushing his tongue past her lips, and she accepted him willingly, keeping the moan threatening to burst out of her contained. She may not have had much experience snogging before, but he certainly had, as evidenced by the way he was reducing her to putty he could mold in his hands.

He pulled back a little to skim his lips over her jaw before moving down, tracing fire all the way down her neck, and this time she couldn't help the tiny moan that escaped her mouth. She felt him grin into the hollow between her neck and collarbone as he adjusted his position, one of his hands brushing her cheek as he brought it down, past her neck and lingering on her collarbone, uncertain. Cassie grabbed his hand, locking eyes with him as she guided it towards her right breast, and he grinned, kissing her again and squeezing her through her clothes, even _that_ pooling her with heat—

"Oi, Pads, you coming up to b— GAH, MY EYES!"

Sirius fell to the floor in his haste to get off her, and Cassie bolted upright to find James standing on the staircase, his hands covering his eyes and his expression contorted into one of utmost horror.

"Great timing, Prongs," Sirius said sarcastically as he stood from the floor, brushing himself off.

"I'm scarred," bemoaned James. "That's in my head forever now. I can't unsee it."

Cassie rolled her eyes, though she was afraid her face might melt off if she blushed any harder. "Sod off, James. Go take a cold shower."

"You and I will be having a chat about this, young lady," he said, attempting to point to her, but instead jabbing his finger at a lamp five feet to her right. "I demand compensation for my traumatic experiences this evening—"

"Godric, you're annoying," Sirius said, ushering their mate up the stairs. "C'mon, let's go to bed before I strangle you."

He looked back to Cassie, but she waved him off with a wry grin and a shake of her head. He smirked, winking at her, before forcefully shoving James up the staircase, his grievances echoing back down to her before there was a distinct sound of a slamming door, and she was left alone in the common room.

Deciding that sleep would be her best alternative to worrying, she trudged up her own staircase, pausing outside her dormitory when she saw light coming through the crack of the door. Warily, she pushed it open, stepping inside, only to find Lily, Alice, and Marlene sitting on her bed with tired smiles.

"What are you doing?" she asked them, bewildered.

"We figured you'd have a long night," Alice said, bouncing slightly on the mattress, "so, we went down to the kitchens and got you some food." She gestured to the pile of sweet and salty snacks they had left by her pillow, and she stared at them incredulously.

"Come sit," Marlene said, patting the space next to her and handing her a water bottle. "Hydrate. Fill us in."

"You really didn't have to—" Cassie started, but Lily waved her off.

"Of course we did," she said, smiling. "It's not everyday your best friend goes off to save the wizarding world."

Cassie looked between the three girls, wondering just what she had done to be blessed with such amazing friends. Smiling, she joined them on her bed, reaching for a handful of sweets as hope rose again in her chest, as bright and brilliant as the dawn outside their windows.

* * *

 **Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 **So, not a lot changed from the original, I just added a few more scenes to make it as fleshed out as I wanted it to be the first time around but never got the chance to. The true kiss between Cassie and Sirius had been in my drafts for a couple months, and was originally slated for the first version of this chapter, but I took it out at the last second for the original, and then put it back in for the rewrite. Hopefully it was acceptable.**

 **Next Chapter: _The Final Match_**

 **xx**


	37. The Final Match

**Disclaimer:** _All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine._

 **Welcome back! I'll admit, this chapter was a little weird to write at first considering all the drama of the most recent ones, but it was nice to return to the usual Hogwarts shenanigans (if only for a little while).**

 **Thank you for all the new favorites/follows, and many thanks to my reviewers from last time!**

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Final Match

Despite the events from the night before, Cassie awoke with the sun only a few hours after their return from the forest. She peeled her back from the headboard of her four-poster, wincing at the sudden ache in her muscles. Her frantic time in the well, coupled with the fact that she had fallen asleep sitting upright while Lily, Marlene, and Alice were curled at her feet in various uncomfortable positions atop her mattress, had served to make her incredibly sore, and she popped her neck and back several times to loosen up her stiff joints.

Being careful not to wake the sleeping girls on her bed, she slipped out from behind her coverings and tiptoed into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind her. Approaching one of the sinks, she turned on the faucet and cupped her hands, letting the ice-cold water fill her palms before splashing some on her face and rubbing the excess on the back of her neck to wake her up a bit more.

She thought, with some morbid humor, that she quite resembled a hag as she stared at herself in the mirror; with her dull, bloodshot eyes, tangled hair, and scraped and bruised skin, she certainly was not a sight to behold, and she wondered why Sirius had even wanted to kiss her last night while she was in such a state, especially when she still smelled strongly of moss and well water.

This prompted her to switch on the shower behind her, turning the tap until the bathroom began to steam up, shrouding her reflection in mist. She stripped off her dirty clothes and stepped into the stream of hot water, sighing blissfully as some of the tension began to drop away from her muscles.

She reached up and felt the empty space on her chest where once the clockwork locket had rested, leaving now only a hollow ache that seemed to resonate within her body. The numbness of shock that had overcome her anger and frustration the night before had not dissipated with sleep, but she still felt tears prick her eyes all the same when she remembered all that had transpired in the forest.

She had come so far, _so far,_ and everything had literally crumbled into dust before her very eyes. The gauntlet was gone, and so were the locket and the well. Miranda had destroyed the Fountain of Youth and taken Slytherin with her. Everything that Cassie had had, every clue that Will had given her, was nothing more than a whisper of a mystery that had been solved and snatched away from her at the last second.

Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs as she leaned against the wall of the shower, the water mixing with the scalding tears falling freely from her eyes now. She had all but condemned Will to death with her foolishness, thinking that she was the only one who could have solved his riddle. Remus had been right; they should have gone to Dumbledore from the very beginning. She had been so stupid to think that she could have outwitted Carlisle and the Dark Lord in one fell swoop. The only thing she had done even remotely right was sending Will away, but how long would that last until the Death Eaters found him again? With the gauntlet gone, she could never bring him back herself, lest she brought Voldemort's wrath down upon both their heads. Despite the small victory she had won against Voldemort and Carlisle from obtaining Gryffindor's gauntlet, the greater loss of Will's freedom was a crippling blow to her, and she sank to the tiled floor, completely numb.

 _Get a grip, Cassie,_ she scolded herself half-heartedly. _Blubbering on the bathroom floor isn't going to solve anything. Stand up, clear your head, and start working on a plan to save your brother._

It wasn't an epiphany by any means, but she forced herself to stand again on shaky legs and take a few deep breaths, letting the shower slough away the last of her tears. She washed quickly and dried herself before creeping back into the dormitory, checking to see that the girls were still sleeping before dressing and heading for the common room.

Even though it was a Wednesday morning, she was still up early enough to be one of the first downstairs. Two seventh-year girls were finishing procrastinated work at a table in the corner, but Cassie was surprised to see Peter sitting in front of the fireplace, wearing pajamas and a Gryffindor blanket draped around his shoulders.

Cassie walked towards him, bypassing the sofa she and Sirius had collapsed on only a few hours ago, and her face heated when she recalled their snogging session – though whether her blush was from pleasure or embarrassment, she couldn't tell.

"Hey, Pete," she said softly, plopping down next to the blond boy on the carpet and stretching her legs out in front of her, mimicking him and resting her back against the couch behind them.

"Hi, Cassie," he returned, but judging by his disgruntled tone, she suspected that he wasn't too keen on seeing her.

"What's up? Where are the others?" she asked.

"Sleeping." She noticed a shredded piece of parchment in his lap as he lobbed a wad of paper into the fire, watching the flames eat it away into ash. "What about you? Why are you up so early?"

"Hard to get any sleep after the night we had," she said wryly. "Though I'm not surprised that the others are dead to the world – they could sleep through a hurricane." She frowned when he didn't respond, only chucking another piece of parchment into the hearth. Peter had always liked her jokes, but it was like he had suddenly turned into stone. She sighed. "Look, Pete, I'm sorry about last night—"

"You should be," he said, and she was taken aback by the venom in his voice. He turned to glare at her, his blue eyes more watery than normal. "You could have gotten us all killed out there, and Sirius came close when you left him in that well."

The words were like a slap to the face, and she opened her mouth, but he wasn't done.

"Ever since this year started, you've done nothing but get us wrapped up in drama and secrets that you and your Death Eater brother caused," he hissed. "And James, Sirius, and Remus were happy enough to gallivant after you, but I _knew_ something bad was going to happen. And I was right. We almost died for nothing, Cassie, do you understand that?"

She could only stare, at a loss for what to say. He was right, of course; everything he had said she had already told herself a dozen times, but hearing it come from the mouth of a friend was infinitely worse.

Finally, all she could do was whisper, "I'm sorry," and get up, leaving him alone in front of the fire. It was obvious he needed space, and she needed time to process his harsh words, no matter how true they were.

She crossed over to the portrait hole, but before she left, she turned back and watched him throw another piece of paper into the flames, wondering if the dark glint in his eyes was from the fire, or something else entirely.

* * *

"Shit," James said around a mouthful of eggs later that morning, accidentally spraying Cassie with pieces of scramble, and she set down her toast mournfully as she suddenly lost her appetite. "I forgot we had career advising appointments coming up this week."

Cassie agreed with the sentiment, though she had the sense not to spew it out along with her food as she poured a cup of coffee instead. Professor McGonagall was walking along the Gryffindor table, handing out slips of paper to all the fifth-year students that had the dates and times of their appointments to meet in her office to discuss their future career paths on them, much to Cassie's displeasure.

"They're so pointless," she grumbled. "Who even knows what their future is going to look like at sixteen?"

"I can see it now," said James, thankfully with his mouth empty this time. He gestured dramatically with his hand as he said, "'James Potter, Professional Quidditch Player, Handsomest and Richest Wizard in the World'—"

"Sorry, mate, but I think that title belongs to me already," said Sirius, squeezing Cassie's knee under the table playfully as she rolled her eyes.

"Nah, but if Quidditch doesn't work out, I'm going to be an Auror," James said, ignoring Sirius's comment and puffing out his chest slightly. "What about you, Remus?"

The sandy-haired Marauder had been staring intently into his porridge as if he were reading tea leaves, but he looked up at the sound of James's voice. "Huh? Oh, I dunno – I think teaching has its merits."

James made a face, but he nodded encouragingly when Remus looked to him. "That's not a bad idea, Moony. What'd you teach?"

Remus shrugged, swirling his spoon around aimlessly. "I'd like doing Defense, but Charms wouldn't be so bad."

James nodded again, before turning to the unusually quiet and sullen Peter. "Pete? Any ideas, besides being my number one fan at all my matches?"

Peter scowled at the joke, and Cassie looked away guiltily when James's grin wavered at the sight.

"How should I know?" the small boy snapped.

James held up his hands in defense. "All right, mate, never mind," he said, before grinning at Cassie. "And you, princess?"

"Undecided," she said, sipping from her coffee and shrugging. She felt self-conscious now, with an overwhelming wave of anxiety rolling over her, as it always did whenever her future was mentioned. It reminded her far too much of the discussions her parents would have at the dinner table, plotting out her life for her while she sat right there, always talked over or shut down at her slightest suggestion of her own future. "Sirius?"

When he didn't immediately speak, she looked over to him and raised her brows. His jaw was set firmly, his expression determined, and she suddenly had a very good idea of what he wanted from his future before the words were even out of his mouth.

"Whatever I can do to fight the Death Eaters," he said grimly. "McGonagall will know what I mean; Dumbledore trusts her, and there's rumors that he's building his own order to oppose Voldemort's."

"I didn't even think of that," said James, nodding slowly. "I'll ask, too."

"She won't tell you anything," Cassie said. "You're both far too young."

"Minnie can't resist us." James winked at her. "She has a soft spot for us – no doubt from how charming we can be. And after all those long nights in detention, I've seen the way she looks at me—"

"Would you care to elaborate on that statement, Mr. Potter?"

James shrank away from their Head of House after she had appeared behind him abruptly, carrying their schedules. She raised a pointed brow at the messy-haired Marauder as he began to splutter nervously.

"I thought not," she said briskly, before handing around their slips. "Miss Alderfair, I'll see you directly after breakfast. Do try not to be late."

"Yes, Professor," she said, making a face once the strict witch had walked away. "Great. Just great."

"You'll be fine, Cass," said Sirius. "It's not like she's going to punish you for not having a career in mind."

"Still," she said. "I'd rather not deal with it first thing in the morning, especially after the night I've had."

"Sirius is right," James said bracingly. "Just get it over with and then come watch Sirius and I practice for the last match."

"Or she can actually be productive with her time and help me study for O.W.L.s," Remus said, his brow ticking up at James. "You know, those really important exams we have coming up in a month's time?"

James waved him off. "There's still plenty of time to study, Moony. Don't get your knickers twisted in a knot."

Before the two boys could start arguing, Cassie checked Sirius's watch for the time and stood up, draining the last of her coffee. "I'm off to McGonagall's. I'll catch up with you lot later."

They bid her farewell as she left the Great Hall, and she tried not to feel as if she were walking to the gallows as she made her way to the professor's office.

* * *

"Have a seat, Miss Alderfair."

Cassie dropped into one of the velvet chairs with resign, her bookbag landing next to her with a dull thud. She was still sore and fatigued, and having to discuss her future with her Head of House was not something she was looking forward to.

Professor McGonagall sat behind her desk, her spectacles perched on the end of her nose as she looked over a file that Cassie assumed to be her student records. After a few moments of silence, the professor took off her spectacles and appraised her, her lips pursed in contemplation.

"Well, Miss Alderfair, before I begin any course recommendations for next year, are there any careers you are interested in that I should take into account while advising?" she asked.

Cassie shrugged. "Truthfully, Professor, I haven't given my future much thought."

McGonagall's face remained impassive, though Cassie noticed that her eyebrows had moved towards her hairline. "Then you have no wish to follow in either your mother's or your father's footsteps?"

Cassie shrugged again. "I'm rubbish at politics, and I don't want to work with publications. I'm not them."

"Indeed." She shuffled a few more papers in her file. "I won't lie to you, Miss Alderfair; your grades have been average, at best – just enough to scrape by without remedial help, yet nothing spectacular, either. I must warn you that most professors do not accept any marks below 'Exceeds Expectations' on their students' O.W.L.s for their N.E.W.T. classes. I myself take nothing less than an O. If it is your desire to advance to the N.E.W.T. level—"

"Is Professor Dumbledore really creating an order to fight back against Voldemort, Professor?" Cassie said suddenly, and McGonagall flinched back at the sound of the Dark Lord's name before she composed herself, now eyeing Cassie shrewdly.

"Of course not," she said stiffly. "Who told you such a thing?"

"Professor," Cassie said, shifting forward in her seat and fixing the older witch with a stare that could rival the professor's own. "I need to know the truth. I asked you once in this very room if you thought a war was coming, and you said one would be inevitable. So, please don't lie to me. If there's an organization out there that's dedicated to fighting Voldemort, I need to know, so that I can join once I've graduated."

The only sounds in the office were from the flames cracking merrily in the fireplace behind the professor and the papers she was shuffling uncomfortably before her, her tight lips pressed into a thin white line. Finally, she looked up to Cassie and seemed to reach some sort of conclusion, for she sighed and dropped her eyes again.

"Miss Alderfair," she said hollowly, "if I tell you this, it must never leave this office. Do you swear?"

"I swear," she said solemnly, and the professor sighed again.

"Yes, it is true," she said. "Professor Dumbledore is creating an organization to oppose You-Know-Who and his followers. All I can tell you is that this organization is dedicated to fighting the Dark – anything beyond that, I am forbidden to share."

"What's it called?" Cassie demanded. Her fingertips had begun to tingle at the professor's admission, and suddenly the dark door in her mind that had barred away her future was beginning to open, a world of possibilities beginning to seep into her brain.

"The Order of the Phoenix," she said. "And that is all, Miss Alderfair – no more questions."

"Good," said Cassie, satisfied, and she sat back casually in her seat. "Now, hypothetically, if one wished to join this secret order once they were out of school, what courses would be most practical to take for their N.E.W.T. studies?"

Professor McGonagall looked as if she wished she had never opened her mouth.

* * *

During that day's free block, Cassie found herself holed up in the library with Remus after Peter, James, and Sirius had left for the Quidditch Pitch, poring over notes and old essays that'd been handed back to her as she attempted to study for O.W.L.s. It was going poorly, on her part; she was too distracted by Professor McGonagall's confession to think on much else, even the gauntlet and Will. Remus, seemingly sensing her mind wandering, as he always could, finally looked up from his Charms notes and waved a hand in her face.

"You still in there, Cass?" he said, but she brushed his hand aside irritably.

"I'm thinking," she replied.

"About Professor Flitwick's review, I hope?" He grinned when she flipped him off. "What's up?"

"I think Sirius and James have the right idea," she admitted. "About fighting once school is done. I talked to McGonagall about it today."

"Oh?" He was looking at her quizzically. "What'd she say?"

Cassie dropped her voice to a whisper, looking around discreetly before leaning in close. "Dumbledore's created a secret organization. The Order of the Phoenix. He's fighting back against Voldemort."

Remus was staring at her, his eyes wide. "You're kidding."

She shook her head. "I'm more serious than Sirius Black."

Despite the severity of their conversation, he still cracked a grin at that. "Good one," he said. "But are you sure that's what she said?"

She gave him an exasperated look. "I'm not deaf, you know. _Yes,_ that's what she said, you dolt."

"And you're willing to fight?"

"I've been looking for a fight ever since that bastard turned my brother against me," she said darkly. "I'd be more than happy to kill him if I got the chance, and this is my chance, Remus."

Despite the reluctance in his eyes, she knew he wouldn't try and talk her out of it, and she was right, for eventually he nodded.

"I think it's time all of us stood up against the Dark," he said. "Things are only going to get worse, and I'd rather do something about it than nothing at all."

"So, you're with me?" she asked hopefully.

He nodded solemnly. "I am."

They exchanged a high-five (muffled, as Madam Pince was bound to be sniffing around nearby) before Remus shifted in his seat, looking back to her cautiously.

"How are you handling everything?" he said, still eyeing her as if she were going to blow up on him for asking a question. "Er, with the gauntlet and all…"

Cassie sighed, shaking her head before resting it on her arms wearily. "Honestly, I'm not handling it at all," she said. "Sirius says I have to believe that we can save Will without the gauntlet, and I want to believe that, but, how can we? I don't even know where he is, who he thinks he is after I Obliviated him…" She shook her head again. "Peter's right. I messed up, Remus. Big time."

"Wait, what did Peter say to you?" he asked, his brow furrowed. "Did he talk to you today?"

"This morning," she said. "Why?"

Remus shrugged. "Dunno. He's barely talked to any of us today, and if he does, he's usually angry."

"You can blame that on me," she said drily. "He thinks I could've gotten us all killed last night, and I tend to agree with him. That was stupidly dangerous, even for us, and it's all my fault—"

"Nope, no way," Remus said, cutting her off. "I am not allowing you to blame yourself for any of this, Cassie. We knew what we were signing up for when we made that alliance."

Cassie smiled faintly to herself at the memory. "And to think a lemon meringue pie was what started it all." She sighed, dragging a hand through her hair tiredly. "I know you believe that, Remus, but let's be realistic; I've made all your lives decidedly more complicated since entering them."

"Complicated? Yes," he said with a snort. "But would I go back and change any of it? Not for anything in the world."

He said it with such conviction that she felt tears spring to her eyes, and she rubbed at them hastily, wishing she would stop crying so damn much. Not trusting herself to speak, she instead leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to convey everything she was feeling in such a simple embrace. Remus patted her back gently, a silent understanding, and she clung to him tighter, fighting back the tears.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?" screeched Madam Pince, who had just rounded the corner near their table. Cassie and Remus leapt apart as the foul librarian swooped upon them, brandishing her feather-duster like a sword. "NO PHYSICAL CONTACT IN THE LIBRARY! OUT! GET OUT!"

Cassie and Remus frantically retrieved their belongings before rushing out of the library as quickly as they could. Madam Pince followed on their heels, waving her feather-duster and ranting about public displays of affection, her shrill screams echoing after them as they sprinted away down the corridor.

* * *

The day of the final match dawned cloudless and blue, and the anticipation within the castle was almost palpable as Cassie made her way to the Great Hall with the Marauders.

"These are perfect conditions," James was saying as they descended the marble staircase. "The wind and the temperature are favorable, but without any cloud cover it'll be hard to see because of the sun's glare, so we have to make sure to keep the sun to our backs, so it'll be in the Slytherins' eyes, not ours—"

Cassie leaned over to Sirius, speaking from the corner of her mouth as James continued to ramble. "Is he always like this before a final match?"

Sirius snorted, giving her a pitying look. "Trust me, love, it only gets worse."

Though not a jittery talker like James, Cassie could sense he was as apprehensive as the other boy, and she reached out and entwined her fingers with his, giving them an encouraging squeeze.

"You're going to be brilliant today," she said confidently. "I can see a Gryffindor victory already."

"Since when do you have an Inner Eye?" he joked, pausing before the entrance to the Hall and letting the others walk ahead to the table.

"I don't," she said mysteriously. "But last night I sacrificed some of Hagrid's chickens and their innards spelled out 'Gryffindor will win the match. Also Sirius Black is great, but not as great as Cassie Alderfair.'"

"I think your chickens left something out," he said with faux concern. "See, Gryffindor'll win the match, that's a given; but they fail to mention why Cassie Alderfair is greater than Sirius Black."

"Oh?" she said humorously. "And how exactly is Cassie Alderfair greater than Sirius Black?"

"Because," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer, and she felt her face begin to heat, "the chickens left out how brave she is, trying to topple an evil regime and save her brother; how much she cares about others, especially the people she loves—"

"—How funny she is," she added, trying to detract from her embarrassment at his words, but he only grinned and continued.

"How funny she is," he agreed, "and how Sirius Black hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since that night in the common room—"

Cassie blushed intensely, looking at the wall behind him with a grimace. "Okay, third-person is getting to be a bit much," she said, patting his chest awkwardly despite her racing heart. "Let's tone that down some."

He chuckled, looking down into her face and noticing her expression. "What?" He drew back slightly, suddenly serious. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No," she said, shaking her head quickly. "No, not at all. I guess I'm just still…getting used to this."

She gestured between them, and his brows furrowed. "Did I go too far?" he said, dropping his voice lower so the people milling around the Entrance Hall wouldn't hear, despite their obvious eavesdropping. "Er, in the common room. When we, uh, you know…"

Cassie gave him a strange look. "Of course not," she said, snorting lightly. "Merlin, Sirius, do you know how long I've waited for something like that?" She smiled up at him reassuringly, looping her arms around his neck. "This is all just so new to me, you know? Like, relationships. It just takes some adjusting." She gave him a chaste kiss to the lips. "Like that. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it's okay to kiss you because I never would've thought that, well, we would end up together."

She stopped talking abruptly, suddenly embarrassed again that she was spilling so much of her inner thoughts. Sirius had yet to run away screaming in horror, however, so she took that as a good sign as he flicked her nose gently, that wry half-smirk she had come to know so well playing on his lips.

"Stop blushing, Cass," he said. "While it is incredibly cute, you don't have to look like you're choking for admitting all that." She laughed, but he eyed her intently. "You can tell me anything, Cassie. Good or bad. Believe it or not, this is new for me too, and I don't want to screw up like all the other times."

"All right." She nodded. "Sounds good. Now, can we please go eat something before all the food is gone?"

He rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, dear." She smacked his arm when he snickered. "First, though, I think I need some good luck for the match today."

He puckered his lips dramatically, and Cassie scoffed at him, muttering, "Drama queen," before leaning in and kissing him again. She'd only meant for a brief kiss, but Sirius seemed to have other ideas, for he pressed close and deepened the kiss, uncaring of the shocked gazes and whispers all around them. Cassie let it go for a few moments, enjoying the feel of his lips on hers and the thrill that still went through her every time he kissed her, before she patted his shoulder, signaling to bring it to an end.

"Good enough?" she asked sarcastically when he finally relented, and the grin he sent her was so blinding she nearly pulled him in again.

"Better than Felix Felicis," he replied, winking. "Now, let's go get that food."

* * *

"Can't you just hold it?"

Cassie turned to face Peter with a scathing look. In the week since his harsh words to her after the forest debacle, the two had seemingly made up – or rather, both of them had refused to bring it up again, and now everything appeared to be back to normal – but he still shrank away with a grimace.

"The match is going to be hours, Pete," she said. "So, no, I can't hold my pee for that long. You and Remus just save my spot."

The stands of the Quidditch Pitch were already beginning to fill rapidly, but Cassie was confident that she could get to the castle, use the loo, and be back before the match started. She just had to trust that Remus and Peter would fend off any other Gryffindors who tried to take her seat, even if they were two of the most unintimidating students at Hogwarts.

"Go," said Remus, nodding to her and punching Peter in the shoulder. "We'll save your spot. Just be quick about it; the match is going to start soon."

Cassie saluted them before taking off, streaking back to the castle and hoping she could make it to the loo in time. She'd had far too much pumpkin juice at breakfast that morning, and she couldn't help cursing her school for their lack of adequate bathrooms near the pitch. If the Gryffindor team wasn't in their locker room at the moment going over last-minute plays, she would've snuck in there; and perhaps she would have, just to wish James and Sirius good luck, but the team captain, Weatherly, had looked so tense that morning at breakfast she was sure he would hex her for interrupting his game plan.

She pelted through the courtyard into the empty Entrance Hall; the castle was devoid of its usual crowds of students and staff due to the anticipated final match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and she rushed for the ground-floor loo, sighing when she was finally able to relieve herself.

After washing her hands as quickly as possible, she exited the loo, only to stop in confusion when she heard a sharp, whispered, "Alderfair!"

Cassie paused, turning in a circle to see where the voice came from, before a shadow shifted somewhere to her left. She whirled around, wand at the ready, only to stop in confusion when there was a small scream, and she found herself pointing her wand between the eyes of Mary MacDonald.

"Alderfair, calm down!" she squeaked, nearly going cross-eyed as she stared at the wand leveled at her head. "Put that thing away! I just want to talk."

"Yes, I'm still dating Sirius, if that's what you're here to ask," grumbled Cassie, reluctantly stowing away her wand. Her heart was hammering madly in her chest, but she willed herself to relax; she'd thought for sure Carlisle or one of her Slytherin cronies had been about to corner her, and her panic had made her angry, especially since it was MacDonald who had snuck up on her.

"That's not what I'm here for," the Ravenclaw said, her green eyes flicking rapidly around them, and Cassie noticed for the first time that the other girl looked… _scared._ "Can we just—?"

She gestured to the alcove behind her, where she'd been hiding, but after a slight hesitation, Cassie nodded, following her into the cramped space.

"What do you want?" she said, crossing her arms. "Spit it out, MacDonald, I have a match to get to."

"Look, I know I've been a bitch to you in the past," she said in a rush. "And normally I'd still be one, but I overheard something I shouldn't have, and I just couldn't keep it to myself, or else I'd feel annoyingly horrible—"

"What did you hear?" Cassie's blood had chilled in her veins at the Ravenclaw's admission, and she was now staring at MacDonald so intently the other girl shifted uncomfortably. "MacDonald, tell me."

She glanced to the floor, biting her lip, before meeting Cassie's gaze anxiously. "I don't know who it was exactly," she said, "but they sounded like some Slytherins we've been in classes with. They said—" She faltered, but after a deep breath, she continued. "They said that you'd gone too far – they mentioned you by your last name, so that's how I knew they were talking about you. One of them suggested they take you to Professor Carlisle and let her deal with you, but another told him you'd…be better off dead."

Her voice dropped to a whisper at this last part, but Cassie heard it clearly. "What else?" she demanded. "Where did you hear this?"

"In the dungeons," she said. "I'd gotten a detention yesterday, and last night I had to clean Slughorn's cauldrons. They were down a different passage, but once I heard your name, I crept closer to listen."

"Were you seen?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Cassie fell silent, thinking, but MacDonald went on.

"There's more," she said. "I heard other things, too."

Cassie's head snapped back to her. "Like what?"

MacDonald frowned, her eyes narrowing. "It didn't make any sense, but it's what I heard. They were talking about finding someone. One of them was worried that this someone was a traitor – a 'defector', she said – but the other one – one of the blokes – said that this person was still loyal – the most loyal of them all." She shrugged. "Like I said, it didn't make sense to me, but I figured it was important."

Cassie felt like she'd received a swift kick to the ribs. "Did they mention who this person was? A name, a pronoun?"

"I think they only mentioned them by name once," she said. "They said something like 'the Lieutenant.'"

Cassie felt her shoulders loosen infinitesimally. She remembered what Avery had said to her several months ago, about how Carlisle was a less-favored lieutenant to Voldemort, and even Will had mentioned that Voldemort had his most loyal lieutenants with him at all times. Will was a traitor and a defector, yes, but this 'Lieutenant' had to be someone else entirely if Will hadn't been part of Voldemort's inner circle. That still didn't stop her from worrying, however, especially if these Slytherins were talking about killing her or letting Carlisle handle her.

"Thanks, MacDonald," she said grudgingly. "You could've kept this to yourself, but instead you decided to tell me, so…thanks."

MacDonald nodded, an unreadable expression on her face. "I may not like you, Alderfair, but I'm not a snake who only looks out for myself, either."

Cassie quirked her lips. "Never said you were, MacDonald. You coming to the match?"

"In a bit," she said. "You go first. I don't want people to be suspicious if they see us walking together."

Cassie had to admit that she was right, and she suddenly began to understand why she was a Ravenclaw. Nodding to her once, Cassie left the alcove and jogged all the way back to the pitch, clutching a stitch in her side as she finally hoisted herself up beside Remus and Peter in the stands.

"I thought you'd fallen in," said Remus wryly. "You're in luck, though – they've delayed the match."

"What? Why?" she said between her panting breaths.

Remus shrugged. "One of the Slytherin players is late, apparently. Madam Hooch announced it about five minutes ago."

"Do you know who?" she asked, but he shook his head.

"I couldn't tell you," he replied, and she frowned, studying the crowd around them. Everyone was talking, their impatience and speculations making the volume around the pitch louder, but Cassie wasn't paying attention, MacDonald's words echoing in her head.

"Remind me to tell you all something when the match is over," she said loudly to Remus and Peter, and the blond boy nodded, too engrossed in eating the pumpkin pasties he'd brought with him to say much else. Remus looked to her curiously, but she shook her head at his silent question, her gaze promising, _Later._ He accepted it with a nod and pursed lips.

"Look!" cried Peter suddenly, pointing down to the pitch. "They're coming out!"

Indeed, the players were entering the field, and the Gryffindors screamed for their red-and-gold team, while the Slytherins roared their approval for their silver-and-green players. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were divided between the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, but Cassie smirked when she saw quite a few more lion banners than serpents.

"And here they are!" boomed Charlie Jordan from the announcer's box. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, ready for the final match to determine who wins this year's Quidditch Cup! On Slytherin, we have Keeper Flint, Chasers Avery, Sloane, and Mulciber, Beaters and Captain Yaxley and Wilkes, and Seeker Black."

The Gryffindors booed the loudest, and Cassie started when she heard Regulus's name; she hadn't known that Sirius's brother had even played Quidditch.

"And on Gryffindor, we have Keeper and Captain Weatherly, Chasers Potter, McKinnon, and Schaffer, Beaters Black and Hamilton, and Seeker Wood!"

The Slytherins hissed, but Cassie cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors, drowning them out.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch barked from the field, and Weatherly and Yaxley seemed close to breaking each other's hands before Madam Hooch ordered them to mount their brooms. A sharp whistle pierced the air, and suddenly the teams were off, soaring into the air at breakneck speed while the match began in earnest.

It was the most excruciating match Cassie had ever watched. She, Peter, and Remus alternated between cheers when their team scored, groans whenever Weatherly failed to block a goal, insults and taunts when the Slytherin crowd got too rowdy, and screams and swears whenever there was a foul, which seemed to be almost every five minutes.

The teams were playing with a ferocity that bordered on savagery, and Cassie nearly screamed herself hoarse when Wilkes purposefully clobbered Sirius with his bat. Madam Hooch awarded the Gryffindors a penalty shot, which James made easily, but the teams were neck-and-neck, sitting at fifty-sixty, with the Slytherins in the lead.

"Why isn't Wood getting the Snitch?" demanded Cassie. "I've seen it, like, five times already!"

"It's about the points, Cass," explained Remus, while on the other side Peter began leading a vulgar chant against the Slytherins. "We have to be a certain number of points up to ensure that we win the Cup undisputed. Look at it this way—"

Cassie could hardly hear him over the roar of the crowd, but soon even Remus forgot what he was talking about as Gryffindor scored another goal and joined in yelling with the rest of them as Marlene's little brother, Mikey, flew by pumping his fist in victory.

An hour passed of the same brutality and dizzying change of the Quaffle as it passed from hand to hand. Slytherin was awarded a penalty shot after Schaffer tackled Mulciber from his broom, nearly sending both players plummeting towards the ground from a hundred feet in the air. Weatherly was so angry he failed to dodge Mulciber's shot, and it was with great anguish that Jordan announced, "Score now one-eighty to one-forty, with Slytherin still in the lead…"

And then it happened. Years later, Hogwarts alumni would still swear that Merlin himself intervened to secure a Gryffindor victory, and even though Cassie had seen it with her own eyes, she still had trouble believing it.

After two hours of frenzied play, Wood had decided that enough was enough, and that he was going to get the Snitch. Regulus had seen it at the same time, however, and both Seekers had grappled as they raced towards the fluttering golden ball. Regulus had managed to knock Wood back to where the Gryffindor was trailing at the end of his broom, and the Slytherins had screamed, their apparent victory in the bag.

At the last second, however, Wood pulled up until he was flying above Regulus Black, and suddenly let go of his broom. The broom plummeted towards Black at the same time that Wood leapt into empty air, and the stands went eerily quiet, watching the proceedings as if time itself had slowed down.

Black swerved out of the way to avoid being hit over the head by Wood's broom, and in the next second, Wood had miraculously landed on his broomstick, Black was screaming bloody murder, and the Snitch was wriggling in Wood's hand from where he had caught it.

There had been a moment of stunned silence, until the Gryffindors let out a deafening roar as one, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws joining in with cheers of their own.

"WE WON! WE WON!" Peter was shouting again and again, and Remus seemed on the verge of tears as he dragged Cassie into a bone-crushing hug. Cassie herself was in a daze, still disbelieving of what she had witnessed, but she accepted hugs from everyone around her as she cried and laughed alongside them.

The Gryffindor supporters swept the field in a scarlet-and-gold wave, rushing the celebrating team on the ground and bypassing the enraged Slytherins as they argued with Madam Hooch, but the decision was final: Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup.

Peter tackled James to the ground, yelling himself hoarse, and Remus clapped Sirius on the back like a proud father. Sirius was laughing, his face dirty and streaked with sweat, his hair tousled and windswept, but his sparkling eyes found Cassie in the crowd and suddenly he was there, lifting her into the air and spinning her around as if she were the one who had won the match instead of him. She couldn't tell whether she was laughing or crying as his mouth closed over hers, but she decided she didn't care as the world faded into background noise, the only thing she could focus on being snogging the daylight out of her boyfriend.

James was leading the crowd in a victory cheer as he hoisted the Quidditch Cup into the air, and suddenly they were being swept back to the castle, the team riding on the shoulders of their supporters across the grounds.

The cheering didn't stop, even when they entered the castle, but suddenly a noise rose above the rest of the voices, a bloodcurdling shriek that pierced the air and ceased all the celebratory chants immediately.

Cassie felt a cold finger trace her spine as she pushed to the front of the throng, her sudden spurt of adrenaline goading her toward the scream. She fought her way through the bodies until she was standing at the foot of the marble staircase, and her heart seemed to stop at the grisly sight before her.

Mary MacDonald was lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the staircase, with one of her arms twisted at a sickening angle and her legs splayed out unnaturally beneath her. A pool of cooling blood surrounded her head like a mocking halo, turning her blonde hair brown, and her half-open eyes bored into Cassie accusingly.

Cassie realized with a nauseating lurch that someone had done this to Mary – and it was all Cassie's fault.

Mary MacDonald had been attacked because of her.

* * *

 **Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **Can y'all believe this story only has three more chapters before the end of Book 1 and the start of Book 2? Because I can't, and I'm the one who's writing it all lol. (And don't worry, there's definitely going to be more Cassie/Sirius before we're finished with this one.)**

 **Next Chapter: _The Mudblood_**

 **xx**


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